Archive: Escape
by Energy-the-hedgehog
Summary: I never wanted to be captured. Ever. As hard as life in the wild was, the thought of allowing myself to be captured never once crossed my mind. So, how is it that I find myself fighting for a human in a suit of armor...? Original Story by Phantom SunsSong
1. Foreword

Foreword.

The following chapters and storyline of this fanfiction, _Escape,_ are property of the original author **Phantom Sunsong**. The story and its chapters are unedited save for miscellaneous grammar and spelling mistakes that required correcting. Characters belonging to Fullmetal Alchemist, while used within this story, are property of Viz Media, Funimation, Square Enix, and Hiromu Arakawa. The purpose of this fanfiction is purely entertainment and for the sake of telling a story.

This is the first story in the **archives project**, which is dedicated to retelling stories in a remastered format so that exceptional stories may not be lost to the public and audience of due to deletion or technical issues. You, the reader, may submit a story you feel should be **archived** by posting a response to this chapter. Simply put the title, the author's name, and the sentence "please consider for archival" afterword in the review.

Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N** **(Phantom Sunsong):** Yes, I'm finally posting the first chapter of that story I've been talking about for months. Don't worry, I'm still working on Amulets and Last Child, I just need to get around to writing more of both. School seems to take up a lot of time, but now I'm out for the year, so yay.

Anywho, this is a crossover of Pokemon and Fullmetal Alchemist, and, although it takes place mostly in Amestris, it's in the Pokemon section because the main character, and the one whose point of view most of the story is from, is a Pokemon.

**Disclaimer:**I own neither Fullmetal Alchemist nor Pokemon. I do, however, own the plot, and I kinda own Kitasha as well, since she's my OC, even if she is a Shinx. The FMA verse, for those who care, is a mixture of both the anime and the manga, and Ed is a main character, thus swearing. I've posted this in other places too, either under this name or **DraconicEspeon**. If it is posted under another name, it wasn't by me.

**(Expanded Summary)**

In my life, humans have always been something I'd rather not meet, even if I knew the likeliness of that was slim. I just don't like them. They think they can control us, force us to fight one another for their own amusement… Isn't there something wrong with that? In any case, I never wanted to be captured. Ever. As hard as life in the wild was, for a young Shinx that was considered different, the thought of allowing myself to be captured, just to get away from it, never once crossed my mind. So, how is it that I find myself fighting for a human in a suit of armor...?

_**Escape**_

_Chapter One_

I stepped lightly through the thick undergrowth, trying not to make any more sound than necessary. My heart beat steadily in my chest, echoing in my ears as I ran, trying not to panic.

I had a head start, I reminded myself. And I knew how they thought, how they hunted. These trees and bushes were as familiar to me as they were to them. I had advantages.

They did, too, but I had a chance to escape.

I had to escape. Going back wasn't an option anymore.

I nearly sighed with relief when I saw the gurgling creek amid the green of the woods that had been my home for so long. I all but jumped into it, ignoring the wetness on my blue paws. I had to disguise my scent. If I kept them from smelling me, from hearing me, I would be more likely to make it away from the forest. I didn't know what I would do once I made it beyond, but I had to get there first.

The water moved slowly enough that I could just make out my hazy reflection. Large gold eyes, round ears, a short snout, blue and black fur… I was the most average looking Shinx you'd be likely to see. On the inside, though, I was much different, varying in how I felt. I could never be like them.

Only the sound of a few moving leaves alerted me to movement. I jumped to one side, rolling and splashing in the water, thoroughly soaking myself. Another splash sounded from where I had been only moments before, and I struggled to my paws in the weak current. Before the other cat (a Luxio, I realized with dismay) could recover, I rammed it with my head. It lost its balance, and slipped into the water.

I crawled out of the cold creek, not even bothering to shake out my fur. I didn't have time. I had to—

Another shape stepped out in front of me. I took a quick step back, recognizing the large Luxray instantly. Her jet black mane was hardly ruffled by the chase through the woods.

She seemed perfect, as she always did, composed and beautifully dangerous. My mother's appearance had always made me feel like some kind of dingy Meowth in comparison, and never more than now, when I was wet through and panting heavily.

"Just give up, Kitasha, dear." The voice was sickeningly sweet, with an undertone of a warning growl. "Is it really so bad that you have to run?" I could practically hear the unsaid comment, not that you can.

"Yes," I hissed angrily. "It is. Killing others for supremacy, eradicating all competitors to our 'wonderful' Luxray clan, it's disgusting! All the needless violence and bloodshed, said in the name of food, when we can just as easily eat the plentiful berries and roots around the forest like the other Pokemon. We're no better than humans here, mother. If anything, we're worse." I glared, focusing all my hatred towards the Pokemon before me. I couldn't stand being silent any longer. I wasn't a fighter, a hunter, like so many of the Startail clan. I wouldn't, couldn't, kill. I'd kept my mouth shut for so long, enduring the indecency as the other creatures of the woods were slaughtered to fuel my family's feelings of superiority. But not any longer. The events of the day were too fresh in my mind.

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I had woken up that morning, same as before, and skirted the edge of our camp, away from the center where the rest of the clan had gathered. They were no doubt surrounding the morning's catch. I held back my revulsion and ignored them all. I had better places to be. I was meeting Arrow, after all.

Arrow was a Starly, and the only Pokemon I could truly call a friend. My clan ignored me and my pacifistic ways, and the other Pokemon feared me, because I was a Shinx, and so a part of the Startail clan. I couldn't really blame them, but I found myself lonely. Arrow gave me a chance, and I had since been eternally grateful. No one else had ever cared enough.

Usually, we met near an Oran bush a good distance away from camp. It was out of the immediate hunting area of the Startail clan, and I had thought that he would be safe from them. I was disastrously wrong.

A couple of younger Shinx, smaller than me, walked past, and I caught a snippet of their conversation.

"What'd they catch this morning?"

"Some idiot Starly next to an Oran bush. They caught it while it wasn't doing anything, like it was waiting for something." I felt my stomach drop, and my heart beat faster. No… It couldn't be. They didn't catch Arrow. They couldn't have.

For the first time in months, I found myself racing to the middle of the clearing, fearing what I would see. Through the throng of blue and black I saw scattered feathers, brown, black, and white. Then, a cat stepped out of the way, and I saw the victim for the day.

It was a Starly with a strange, arrow shaped marking on its forehead, long dead and torn open. I choked back a sob. It was Arrow.

"Have you finally come to your senses, Kitasha? Decided to join us, as you should?" The smooth voice cut through me like a knife. I whirled, cold fury giving strength to my limbs, my tail lashing. I already knew who it was. Sirene Startail, my mother, and one of the best hunters in the clan. She was the only one to ever call me by my full name, even when everyone else simply referred to me as Tasha. Her satisfied smirk was all I needed to know for sure that she had planned this. She knew where I went, knew who I was friends with, and targeted Arrow specifically. She wanted to break me, to reel me back into her ideal world. I wasn't about to go.

I didn't say a word. I just left. I could practically feel the gazes of the others as I left, disappearing into the woods. I still heard my mother's words as she called to the others.

"Bring her back. I won't lose my only daughter to her foolish notions."

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"I don't think you really believe that, Kitasha," the Luxray continued smoothly, her voice a purr. "Deep down, you see that our ways are right. Just give in, give yourself time to adjust, you'll fit in just fine."

"I don't want to fit in with what you think is right!" I yowled, nearly losing control. I felt tears streaming down my face, and I couldn't hold them back. Images of Arrow's mangled body flashed through my mind's eye, mixed with the other victims of my family's cruelty. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't pretend everything was alright.

"If you don't want to conform," Sirene answered, her voice still as sweet as ever, "then we'll just take care of you here." My expression changed to shock. Would they really kill me just because I was different? Could she really kill her daughter?

As the other hunters moved in around me, I realized that she had been expecting it to come to this. I glanced at them in turn, and none of their faces held pity. I finally looked back at my mother. There was no doubt or remorse in her eyes. She couldn't let her clan be tainted. She would kill me without a thought, the same as she had killed Arrow.

And then, I realized I would rather die than continue living as I was, trying to ignore my family's sins and actions. My gaze hardened.

"Fine then. Kill me." Satisfaction sparked in Sirene's eyes, and she lifted a paw, but far too slow. In that second after I spoke, the world seemed to grow closer. It felt like walls were surrounding me, walls of bright light and blue electricity. I squeaked in surprise, and suddenly the ground disappeared beneath me, along with my mother and the other hunters of the Startail clan. All I saw everywhere was white.

I felt myself tumbling through the air in this unfamiliar world, and everything that I had once known was sucked away. All that remained was me and the endless sea of nothing.

My paws touched something hard, though firm and impossibly smooth. It was nothing like the forest floor I had just left. I tested this hard surface hesitantly, though I couldn't distinguish it from the light that surrounded me. Finally, I decided it would hold me, and I stepped forward.

I was no longer in the forest, that much was certain, but then, where was I? Was I dead? Had my mother actually killed me, and this strange place was death? But I didn't remember dying. I had felt no pain, only the strange sensation of the air condensing around me. I knew one thing, though. Where ever I was, it had to be better than home. At least I had escaped.

I began walking without aim. I kept myself focused on stepping and looking for anything I could distinguish from the white all around me. After a while of wondering, a loud boom sounded in my ears, and I suddenly found myself looking up at a large, dark structure.

It was obviously human made, and a door, from what I could tell, but it was impossibly large. Even a Tyranitar, or something similarly huge, would have had difficulty pulling it open.

From what I could tell, it wasn't made of wood, but it didn't look like stone or what little metal I had seen, either. What really caught my eyes was the intricacy of the designs on the door. It almost looked like a tree, with circular spots where it looked like human words were written, human words that I never would have understood. Still, the design was strange, and it took me several seconds to realize why. It was, in fact, a tree, but it was upside down, with the roots reaching towards the sky and palm like leaves down below.

As suddenly as the doors had appeared, they opened. The wind they created blew the fur on my head and chest flat, and I squinted to see. Inside the massive doors was only blackness, contrasting greatly with the empty light that surrounded me. But it roiled and moved, like living shadows. Laughter echoed in my ears mockingly, and eyes opened from within the darkness. Fear gripped me, closing cold hands around my chest, and the laughter grew louder. Tendrils of darkness, their ends shaped like claws, shot out and wrapped themselves around my body. I cried out and struggled in their grip, but I knew it was hopeless, even before they pulled me in. Completely engulfed, I lost consciousness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The final preparations were complete. Grinning madly, the dark haired man inspected his handiwork with small, gray eyes.

The circle was perfect, a true work of art. Never had so beautiful a creation been completed before. The markings flowed smoothly on the stone floor, unmarred and faultless.

Quivering at its center was a cat, fur dark and gold eyes wide. It was tied, and couldn't escape, no matter what it did. Yes, everything was ready. He could begin the transmutation.

Evan Isorfold had long been told that his assumptions were ridiculous. A world, beyond something called a 'Gate'? A world with animals that could have unimaginable powers, no less? It could never happen. But he'd always hoped. Ever since he'd found that old book, describing a realm of magical creatures, he'd always thought that there must be a way to bring those creatures here, to Amestris. And whoever could would have the ability to take the world, and mold it to their own ends.

He'd already proved it existed; his two new pets were proof enough of that. But they weren't enough. As powerful as they were, he'd need an army of them, enough to protect and fight for him so that he could take control of Central, and, later, all of Amestris.

It was now or never. His heart beating faster with anticipation of the transmutation, he placed his hands on the edge of the circle. He felt the energy channeling through it, saw the beginning of the blue sparks that began the alchemic transportation.

And then the door slammed open. He couldn't stop now, couldn't even look to see who had barged in on him. A transmutation, especially one of this magnitude, could not be stopped part way.

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The blond haired alchemist grinned broadly, if a little dementedly. This was his favorite part of a mission. There was nothing better than getting to beat the crap out of someone who really deserved it. Edward Elric quickly walked up the stairs of the apartment complex, his red coat trailing behind him. This was just too easy.

Colonel Roy Mustang, his commanding officer, had given him the mission about a week before. He had gotten information on an alchemist that was suspected of constructing chimeras, illegal unless you had a State license, mostly because of the havoc that could be wrought with them. It had barely taken any work to track him down. Everyone Ed had talked to seemed to think the guy was off his rocker, and he was pretty sure he agreed.

The alchemist, a man named Evan Isorfold, had rented out the basement of the apartment building, and had been living there, in a little town not far from Central, for about a month. Since then, he'd brought in several stray animals, like dogs and cats or the occasional pigeon, though no one saw or heard them again. The owner of the building had wholeheartedly agreed to let Ed go 'talk' with him after he flashed his silver watch. Even if State Alchemists weren't exactly well received, few people wanted to get between them and a mission.

Usually, on missions like this, there would be a whole group of soldiers here, ready to apprehend the alchemist, but usually, the place they were surrounding wasn't an apartment building. There were too many ways that he could find out they were looking for him and flee before they even got there. And so, Ed was going in alone, with Al close by outside, and a group of soldiers led by Second Lieutenant Havoc ready in case something went awry.

What Ed hadn't expected was that a transmutation would already be in progress when he got there. He recognized the light under the door all too well, and started cursing when he saw it. Not bothering to even see if it was unlocked, he gave the door a swift quick with his metal automail leg, sending it open immediately with a loud crack as the lock broke.

Bolts of blue electricity danced around the dark haired man within the room, but the brightest light lay in the center of a chalk circle on the floor. Unable to get a good look at the markings, Ed couldn't even begin to guess what the circle was for, but whatever it was, he doubted it was good.

After an extremely long second, the alchemical light began to die down, and then sputtered out completely. There, lying in the center of the circle, was a creature unlike anything Ed had ever seen. It was vaguely cat like, with blue and black fur. Its ears were large and round, and its four legs were sprawled forward, like it was asleep. On the tip of its black tail was a bright yellow four pronged star.

The man turned, anger flashing in his eyes.

"I told you brats to stay out of here!" He howled, climbing swiftly to his feet, but faltering slightly from the amount of energy he put into the transmutation. Catching himself, his glare returned. "How dare you invade my room!" Ed was jolted out of his shock at seeing the strange creature on the ground, and whirled on the man, his gold eyes blazing.

"Me?! You're the one playing with lives, you bastard!" Without even bothering to introduce himself, he clapped his hands and slapped them to the floor. Blue lightning played across the surface he touched, and stone spikes reared up, making a bee line for Isorfold. He paled, realizing what was happening and who he was dealing with, and jumped away. He practically fell practically on top of the cat thing he had created before gathering the creature up in his arms. Ed clapped again, but he was too slow. The man was already moving towards another door.

Ed growled, following closely after. The room Isorfold had disappeared into was a small one, possibly a meant to be a storage room, though there was only one thing in it now: a hole, which no doubt led to an escape route to the surface. Isorfold was already in it, sketching on the side with a piece of chalk. Ed made to leap forward, and then held back as the man finished the sketch and slapped a hand onto it. He turned and grinned mockingly as the hole closed itself, crackling with blue lightning. Like heck he was going to let him get away. Ed bolted out of the room to try and head him off, working out where the hole most likely ended in his mind.

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Alphonse Elric stood behind the building, leaning up against the brick wall. He watched the darkening sky, trying to push down his boredom. He almost wished he had gone in with his brother, but as big as he was, he would only get in the way.

Al was, literally, a suit of armor. Ever since he and his brother had attempted human transmutation and Al lost his body to the Gate, his soul had been bound to the armor. As he was, there was only so much he could do, and eating, sleeping, and being unnoticeable wasn't among them.

As he waited, he heard hurried footsteps coming from an alley nearby. The next thing he knew, a man came running out of it, as if something was chasing him. Al stood stunned fora second, and then finally reacted.

"Do you need help?" He called, stepping away from the wall. The man faltered, and then accidentally dropped what he had been carrying. Al recognized it as some kind of cat immediately, but there seemed to be something wrong with it. It wasn't conscious and, as far as he could see, it was blue and black. Al walked forward as the man turned as to pick it back up.

Both stopped as the wall behind Al exploded.

"There you are!" He heard a familiar voice shout angrily. The armor stepped to the side as Ed came barreling from behind him, running all out after the man. The man apparently thought better of picking up the feline, and ran off, with Ed close behind. Al glanced back at the damage done to the wall to see a gaping hole, with several civilians staring out in varying degrees of fear, amazement, and anger. Sighing internally, he bowed deeply.

"I'm very sorry about the mess," he said as he did. "My brother is sometimes a little hasty. I'm sure he will fix the wall when he gets back." Many of the people nodded, glad that the wall would soon be fixed, but a few continued glaring. Al did his best to ignore them and quickly went to the aid of the strange feline.

Though it was the size of a large cat, this black and blue one reminded Al more of a kitten than an adult. There seemed to be only one good explanation. More likely than not, this cat was some kind of chimera that the man had created.

And he won't even look out for his creation, Al thought with disgust, recalling how the man had simply run. He gently scooped up the poor creature in his arms, cradling it as best he could. He couldn't help but remember Nina as he looked at it, even though there was no real resemblance. The poor girl had been transformed into a chimera as well, and killed soon after. He hoped that, in spite of what happened, maybe this chimera's life could be a little better. Maybe…


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong)**: Hiya again. Thank you for everyone who took the time to review, I'm glad you're enjoying this! Hopefully you'll like this next chapter as well as the first. Any Roy fans who may happen to be reading this will probably be happy.

**Disclaimer**: I own the plot and Kitasha. Oh, and Isorfold too, I suppose. Though I don't honestly want him… everything else is owned by their respective owners. They know who they are, though I don't know why they'd be reading this…

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

"Al, we can't even keep a regular cat, let alone a chimera!" I jolted awake, the loud voice echoing in my ears. I groaned and rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position. My bed was surprisingly lumpy, but still soft.

"Brother, you're waking it up!" This voice, though close and urgent, was far quieter and more soothing than the first. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, but I was content to listen to that voice and just lay with my eyes closed.

"And you know what they'll do if we don't take it in," the nice voice went on. There was a pause before the harsher voice answered.

"…Yeah. I know."

"Please, Brother, at least ask the Colonel." The nice voice said. The first sighed.

"Fine, fine. I will. But knowing him, he'll probably say no anyway." And that was about the time that the fog around my mind lifted, and I realized that the voices that were speaking weren't those of Pokemon. It took me less than a second to put the pieces together. Those voices belonged to _humans_.

My eyes shot open, and the first thing I saw was a gray head with a spike jutting out of its forehead. It immediately made me think of an Aggron, until I realized it was far too small, in spite of the fact that it was still much bigger than me. I squeaked in surprise and fear. The strange creature looked down at me, its face blank and its eyes a startling red. I quickly tried to scramble to my feet, when a strange jerk knocked me flat again. Somehow, wherever we were seemed to be moving.

"Good job, Al, you scared it," the first voice spoke from my right. I turned my head until I saw the human that was speaking. He was young, as far as I could tell, but old enough to be a trainer, with long, golden hair and matching eyes. His clothes were dark, or what I could see of them was, for he wore a blood-red coat. I was somewhat relieved when I noticed that there were no Pokeballs visible on his belt. He seemed smug, though why, I didn't know.

"I, I didn't mean to!" The second voice, apparently called 'Al', reverberated from behind me, sounding high and distressed, yet with an odd metallic echo. It belonged to the strange creature I'd seen, but that kind voice hardly went with those cold features. I shivered slightly, but relaxed. The fact that I wasn't yet in a Pokeball, despite having been knocked out, was reassuring. At very least, they weren't going to try and capture me without a proper fight.

Instead of worrying over what was going to happen, I tried to get a grip on my bearings. Whatever I was in, it was moving, meaning I was in some kind of human vehicle. It was fairly spacious. The two humans I was with sat on a bench, and surrounding them were more benches, separated by the backs of their seats. Across a narrow aisle were yet more seats. As best I could tell, most of the other benches were empty, and I could just barely hear another muted conversation over the sounds of the rumbling vehicle. It was strange, sitting still and yet knowing I was moving. I wasn't entirely sure that I liked it, even if it was effortless.

I turned and settled into my 'bed', which I soon discovered was the lap of the metal thing that was the second human, but covered in a soft blanket. I couldn't understand exactly why the human looked like that, but there was no denying it, with that voice, regardless of how kind it sounded. They had apparently been watching me the whole time I had been assessing my surroundings, and when the metal one looked away, the normal one still continued to stare. I stared back. It was the boy who looked away first.

"I don't know, Al," he said as he looked out the window at the green scenery flashing by. "It's just sorta weird. Those yellow eyes are kinda disconcerting." My gaze at him quickly turned to a glare. My eyes? His were practically the same color!

"Yours aren't much different, Brother," Al replied, sounding almost exasperated. "I know, you just don't want to mess with it. But where will it go if we don't take it? They might just send it to a lab to be dissected, so they can see how it works." It didn't take long to figure out it was me they were talking about. I could take care of myself, thank you! I didn't need humans to look out for me. I didn't like the sound of a lab though, and getting 'dissected', whatever that was. Why would they want me in a lab? It wasn't like Shinx were rare or anything.

What was going on? How did I end up with these humans? Nothing was making any sense. The last thing I could remember was being pulled through those doors by the shadows. Where had I ended up? Obviously not back in the forest, or else I probably wouldn't still be alive. My mother's cold eyes popped into my head, and I couldn't keep from shivering. I felt something touch my back, and gently stroke my fur. I stiffened, but it was comforting, and I slowly relaxed. Gradually, I could feel my worries drifting away.

"See, Brother? It's not so bad," I heard Al say encouragingly.

"Sure it isn't around you. It's obviously part cat. Cats like you. They don't like me. It'll probably attack me in my sleep or something." He gave me an expectant glance. I glared back.

"See? Now it's glaring at me. It obviously doesn't like me."

Al sighed. "It's just agitated because you said its eyes looked weird, Brother."

"Yeah, right, Al. Like it can understand everything we're saying." My glare intensified. What, did he think I was stupid? I hoped he wasn't a trainer. If he was, I felt sorry for any of his partners.

Before any more could be said, the vehicle came to a screeching stop, nearly knocking me off of Al's lap. I only kept my place by digging in my claws. The two humans seemed completely untroubled by the sudden cease in movement, like they were well used to it.

"Now stopping in East Station…" I nearly jumped out of my skin at the disembodied voice. My ears twitched as I tried to identify the source, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere, like an echo. Frightened and confused by everything around me, I sank into the blanket, wishing that the world would stop and give me a chance to get off. Too many things were happening at once for me to comprehend, too many new people and things for my mind to grasp. Even so, I had to admit that it was better than home. A lot more confusing, but better.

"Well, this is our stop," the yellow-haired boy said, and stood with a stretch. "Gather up your new friend and let's go, Al. I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Okay, Brother." I felt gentle hands wrap the blanket around me. I've never liked enclosed places, and this blanket wasn't any different. I struggled to at least stick my head out, to see where we were going, and finally, Al consented.

"It won't stay in the blanket," he said, not sounding too worried, to his brother. "Could you…?"

"Gotcha." The other human walked purposefully until he stood right in front of Al, who crouched down with me in his arms. To my surprise, he opened up his chest. I figured out quickly that this metal body was some sort of clothing that humans could put on, or at least, that was what I guessed. Except, well, it was empty.

He placed me gently inside of him while I tried to figure out exactly what he was. Was the metal thing his body? But then, where was the rest of him? He couldn't really be hollow, could he? When I was nestled inside one of his legs, he quickly closed his chest, and semi-darkness descended on me. Then, he stood, with a shifting of metal plates, and stared to walk.

And I had thought the vehicle ride was bad. Being inside someone's leg was decidedly worse. I could tell that Al was trying not to jolt me too much, but it didn't make much of a difference. I was soon glad that I hadn't had anything to eat in a long time. The worst part, though, was the smell. It was hauntingly familiar, mixing with the tangy scent of metal, but from the way the two mingled, I couldn't identify it. Whatever it was, it made me uneasy. The sooner I got out of there, the better.

The walk seemed to last forever, stopping occasionally for who knew what reason. At one point, I think they were even climbing stairs. Finally, though, I heard the squeaking of hinges that indicated a door opening. It was several seconds later that Al finally stepped forward. A voice, human, deep, and self-assured, rang out through whatever room we had stepped into.

"Well, Fullmetal, I wasn't expecting you back quite so soon. And without your target in custody, too. Has your lack of height been hindering your mental capabilities, or did you just not notice?" I could practically hear the smirk in the man's voice.

"I wasn't the only one who let him go," Al's brother replied, to my surprise, sounding irate. I had been wondering if maybe the name 'Fullmetal' was some kind of nickname for Al, but was instead his brother's name. It hardly made any sense to me, but I wasn't exactly in a position to question anyone. After all, humans can't understand Pokemon speech.

"Havoc and your men let him get away," Fullmetal went on. "Though, if that's how you're going to greet me, I guess I won't show you the chimera we found." His comment was followed by silence. I could only guess what they were doing. From the conversation on the train, I had already gathered that I was the 'chimera', though what that really was, or why they were calling me that, I couldn't begin to guess. Nor did I understand why a chimera was so important to them.

"He'd already made it." The resigned comment from the unknown man wasn't a question. A pause followed, probably to give Fullmetal a chance to nod. "Show it to me."

The front of Al's body was opened, and light streamed in. It was natural light, from a window, that much I could tell. A silhouette of Fullmetal stood above me, and reached in to pull me out. I let him without much struggle, though I couldn't help twitching in surprise from the feeling of his gloved hands. One, the left one, was warm and obviously flesh, but the other was impossibly cold, like metal. These humans were strange, very strange.

I was set onto a hard surface, polished wood, dark but real. I dipped my head down and sniffed the top. The scent of the wood was only barely distinguishable from the scent of whatever had been used to make the top so impossibly smooth, but it was oddly comforting all the same.

"A… Cat?" I lifted my head at the sound of the other man's, Mustang's, voice, and I got my first good look at him. He was different from Fullmetal, with paler skin and smaller, more slanted eyes, and black short hair. The eyes were dark, like black coals, and hard, but I could see compassion there. Maybe not a lot, but it was still there, hidden behind a façade of cold indifference. There was a commanding air about him as well, and I immediately shrank down on the desk into a submissive stance as he continued to scrutinize me.

"That's what we guessed," Fullmetal replied. I didn't glance back at him, my whole attention focused on Mustang. "We don't know what else, though. It's too strange. I've never seen an animal with its coloring or a tail like that. It's like some completely new species."

"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it?" His gaze softened somewhat, his analyzing giving way to careful curiosity and consideration. Fullmetal's comment had made me realize, though, that these people had no idea what I was. As impossible as it seemed, they had never heard of a Shinx. Then again, it was true that we were only plentiful in Sinnoh. Could I be in another region completely? But how had I gotten there so quickly?

Something else bothered me, as well. Fullmetal hadn't called me a Pokemon. He called me an animal, and a chimera, though neither word made any sense to me. Could it be possible that these humans had never heard of Pokemon, either? But there were Pokemon everywhere! The only way they could not have heard of us would be if…

If I was in another world.

No, that couldn't be it. That was too crazy. Even with the doors, and the weird lightning, and waking up with the two human boys, it just couldn't be possible. It couldn't be. I was just in another region. That was all. One where they'd never even heard of a Shinx.

"You know something." Fullmetal's accusation jolted me out of my own thoughts. Glancing back at him, I saw that he was glaring heatedly at Mustang. "Tell me."

"And what makes you think you need to know?" The older human replied coolly, though with a hint of a warning tone.

"Dammit, Mustang, it's my mission! I need to know!" Fullmetal yelled back. His right hand slammed down on the desk, hard, and I felt like I jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Brother!" In the whole proceedings, this was the first time Al spoke. The suit of armor rushed forward and grabbed me off the desk, cradling me in his arms. "You scared the chimera!" At his brother's urging, Fullmetal calmed down somewhat, but he still glared at Mustang.

"Point taken," the older man replied calmly. Leaning both elbows on the desk, he looked out at us over interlocked fingers. "The main reason Isorfold was rejected the title of State Alchemist was not because of his lack of talented. In fact, he was quit talented; expert in using alchemy for transportation. That branch of alchemy is nearly as dangerous as human transmutation, because so many things can go wrong during the transfer, but he managed to perfect it. He can travel to anywhere he wants in no time, using nothing but a pair of transmutation circles." I listened, but didn't understand a word of what he said. Alchemy, transmutation… It sounded like a bunch of gibberish.

"No, the reason he was rejected," Mustang continued, "was because he was deemed mentally unstable. He talked of another world, beyond a Gate, where unimaginable creatures could be brought from, if you could figure out the right way to do it. Of course, no one believed a word he'd said."

"No…" Fullmetal said, nodding thoughtfully. "But we know there's a Gate. Al and I saw it. So, what if the rest of it was right? He finally succeeded in bringing a creature over, and it was this little cat." I felt three pairs of eyes drift to me as I laid in Al's arms.

"Maybe not completely right, then," Mustang said. "They were supposed to have strange powers. Has it exhibited any?"

"No," Fullmetal replied. "At least, not in the time we had it."

"Then maybe they're harmless. Or, at least, as harmless as our world's equivalents," Mustang concluded. "In any case, I want you two to keep your eyes on this thing for now. If it does have any unusual talents, we don't want it getting in the wrong hands."

"What?!" Fullmetal whirled on the older man. "You can't be serious! We don't have time to take care of—"

"That's an _order_, Fullmetal," Mustang cut in, a smirk beginning on his lips. "Unless you'd like to be court marshaled instead?" Fullmetal stared him down.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Do you really think so?" The staring match went on for several seconds, until Fullmetal finally looked away. "Fine."

"Good." Mustang sat back in his seat, picking up a long, slender object off his desk, which he then proceeded to use to write on a white sheet of paper. "It seems to like your brother already, in any case."

"Of course it does," Fullmetal growled under his breath, turning to leave with Al, holding me, not far behind. "It's a cat. Cats _love_ Al."

"I expect you to track down Isorfold as well," Mustang continued as we left. "No doubt he is bringing over more creatures. We need to round them up before he starts something." Fullmetal just acted like he didn't hear him and shut the door behind him.

"Stupid Mustang," he muttered under his breath once we were out of earshot. "Dropping me with his dirty work. Leaving me to take care of the chimera…"

"Oh, c'mon, Brother," Al said happily. "It won't be that bad!"

"You're just happy because you finally got a pet," Fullmetal replied, not looking back. "Even if it is some weird animal from another world."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong)**: Thanks again for all your support and reviews, guys! Even if it's only a few people, it's still great that someone likes this story. This is my last pre-written chapter, but four is almost done, anyway, so no worries.

Also, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but the idea for the transportation alchemy was inspired by transportation alchemy described in Velf's story, _Indebted_. I haven't read the whole thing, but what I have read is awesome, and if you've finished the anime or don't mind spoilers for the end, I whole-heartedly suggest reading it. It's really a great Fulmetal Alchemist story.

**Disclaimer (Phantom Sunsong)**: I don't own FMA or Pokemon, m'kay? I own Kitasha and the plot. And Sirene, though again, I don't particularly want her…

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

To my dismay, I was again put inside Al before we left whatever building we were in. That was another bad thing about riding inside something—you couldn't see where you were. I imagine most Pokemon stuck in Pokeballs have the same problem. I certainly don't envy them.

Thankfully, this walk wasn't very long. I heard a door opening, and then closing. As soon as it did, the armor came open.

"Here you go, little guy!" Al said happily. "Welcome to your new home." I peered out from my place in the metal torso warily. It was definitely a human home. It was rather small, with dark floors of more of the treated, completely flat wood, and some rugs of woven cloth here and there. Large wood and cloth structures dominated the space, along with books. There were books everywhere. They seemed to cover every unused surface, whether it be one of the structures, or the floor. Books I recognized; I had found one while exploring with Arrow one day back in the forest. He'd told me what it was. His father had belonged to a trainer for a while, before escaping to live in the wild. Just the thought of him reminded me of what had happened, and I quickly pushed it away. Instead, I leaped out, eager now to explore this new space. I heard Al close his chest, and I turned back to both him and Fullmetal, who looked bored.

"Well, now I guess we should give her a name," Al said thoughtfully. Fullmetal shot him a questioning look.

"What, it's a girl? How can you tell?"

"The usual way," he replied evasively. "Anyway, a name. What do you think? It has to be something she likes…"

"Al, she's an _animal_, even if she's from another world," Fullmetal said. "She can't comprehend what we're saying."

"Sure she can. Can't you?" Al looked down at me expectantly. I nodded, and then added a "Yeah," as an afterthought. Of course, all they heard was "Shinx." After hearing me speak, Fullmetal's eyes were practically popping out of his head.

"'Strange abilities'?" He mumbled to himself. "I guess Mustang was right." He turned to Al. "What did it say? 'Shinx'?" Al shrugged.

"Maybe it's like a cat's meow…?"

"Well, it's a strange meow," Fullmetal replied. He looked down at me. "Can you say anything else?"

"Of course I can, you just can't understand it," I replied snappily. He just crossed his arms and nodded, as though I had proved something to him.

"Maybe Shinx would be a good name," Al said thoughtfully.

"What?" Fullmetal said, giving his brother a questioning glance. "Wouldn't that be like naming a dog 'woof'?"

"Well, it's better than just picking something at random," the metal human replied. "At least it'll be something she's familiar with." He glanced down at me with his luminescent red eyes. "So? What do you think?" On my part, the deciding didn't take very long. Short of being called Tasha, Shinx would have been my choice of a name. After all, back home, many humans called Pokemon by their species names. I wasn't ready to give up my true name, and I had no way of telling them it, so being called Shinx was the next best thing. I was just glad they had picked up on my speech so quickly. I nodded. In spite of not having a face capable of showing emotion, I could tell that Al was happy that I had liked the name.

"Whatever," Fullmetal said, waving a hand dismissively as he began walking towards a high, four-limbed wood structure piled with papers and books. "She's your responsibility, Al, remember that. I'm going to go do some research." I all but glared as he walked away. His aloof, detached attitude was getting on my nerves. How he and Al could be brothers, with so much difference in both appearance and personality, was beyond me.

"Don't mind Ed," Al whispered to me, bending down to my level. "He's just mad because the Colonel is making him do something." I blinked at the unfamiliar names. 'Ed' must be Fullmetal, probably a less formal name if that was what his brother referred to him as. And the Colonel sounded like a title… For Mustang, maybe? He was the only other human I had met here, so he was the only person I could think of.

"Anyway, I bet you're getting hungry," Al continued, standing up again. "Let's head to the kitchen and find you something to eat." He walked towards a doorway, glancing back once expectantly. I trotted quickly to keep up.

The kitchen was rather small, barely half the size of the first room. White, flat stone squares covered the floor, and a round wooden structure with many legs, like the one Ed had gone to, only bigger, dominated the space, with two smaller ones with their sides bent up, most likely a kind of seat. Wood boxes with metal handles lined the ceiling, and below them were long pieces of flat stone that I could barely see from my place on the floor. A big black metal thing sat on one side, with a square with hinges on the front that probably opened, and opposite it was a basin of metal set into the upraised stone surface, and above it was a metal pipe angled down into it.

I watched with interest as Al pulled a bowl and a bag from two of the boxes, and tipped the contents of the bag into the bowl. He then placed the bowl on the floor. I sniffed the pellets in the bowl curiously before quickly backing away. It stank of meat.

"You don't like it?" Al asked, surprised. "All the cats that I've brought home before seemed to like it. Hm…" He picked the bowl back up, dumped the putrid food down into a large container, presumably for garbage. Then, he went through the rest of the wood boxes, but it seemed that they had hardly anything in them. All he managed to find was a bag of what looked like wrinkly purple balls. Almost hesitantly, he pulled one out.

"You probably won't like this either, but it's all we've got," Al said apologetically as he held his hand out. Out of politeness more than anything else, I sniffed it hesitantly. To my surprise, it smelled fruity, reminding me of a berry that had lain out in the sun too long. I eagerly ate it, and Al, glad that he had found something that I liked, was happy to give me more. He poured more of them into a bowl, and was setting it down for me when I heard uneven footsteps. Looking up, I was surprised to see Ed poking his head into the room.

"Hey, Al," he began, "I was thinking, maybe tomorrow we should…" He trailed off when he noticed what I was eating. "Is the cat eating _raisins_?"

"Well, she didn't like the catfood," Al replied. "So I tried raisins, and she liked them?" He sounded confused himself. So that what they were called, raisins. Dried berries of some kind. I'd have to try drying some berries when I got back home.

…Home. Suddenly, I wasn't very hungry any more. I was thinking about Arrow. I pushed them back, and tried to attend to the conversation the two humans were having. I couldn't help him, not now.

"Anyway, I thought we should probably take another look at Isorfold's transmutation circle tomorrow," Ed suggested. "Maybe we can figure out more about how he brought Shinx here, or if he made her, in hopes to pass her off as a creature from another world." I blinked. More of that transmutation stuff. Did it have something to do with the blue lightning I saw, before I met the big doors? Or maybe the big doors themselves?

"That's the best lead we've got," Al agreed with a nod. "We can take Shinx, can't we?"

"I dunno, Al—"

"Oh, please, Brother!" Al pleaded desperately, hands grasped together. "We can't just leave her alone! What if someone tries to steal her?!" Ed rolled his eyes.

"Al, no one even knows about her!" He replied crossly. "Well, other than the Colonel, but what would he want with her?"

"What if Isorfold comes to get her while we're gone?" Al suggested, grasping at an idea.

"He doesn't know where we live," Ed shot back. Al sat silent for a moment, trying to come up with another reason, but couldn't find one. With a resigned sigh, he nodded.

"Good," Ed said, signifying that the argument was over. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he left the kitchen.

"I suppose I should put together a bed for you…" Al said, somewhat dejectedly. Feeling kind of sorry for him, I followed him while he collected a basket and some blankets. Even if I didn't mind being left alone, it was nice to know that someone cared about me. The only other person that ever really had was Arrow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night, I felt truly comfortable for the first time in ages. I was relaxed here, away from the troubles of the forest. Yes, I missed many things about my old life, but there were many more things that I didn't. Still, of the things I did miss, on that list was Arrow. There was no point in wishing—I was never going to see him again, regardless of where I was. At least I was away from my mother.

Or, I thought I was. But the bad things in life have a funny way of following you wherever you go…

I drifted into an easy sleep, only to be awakened a few hours later. As soon as I drifted into wakefulness, I knew something was wrong. It felt like an ominous cloud had descended over the house. A chill ran up my spine. I wanted to simply lie in my comfy bed and ignore the feeling, but I couldn't. I had to see what it wrong. As the old saying goes, curiosity killed the Meowth—though I suppose in my case, Shinx would work just as well.

I stalked out of the bedroom, going past the snoring form of Ed and Al's motionless armor, the eyes dimmed. Beyond the door were the stairs, since the bedroom was the only room upstairs. I made my way down them. It was somewhat slow going, seeing as the steps were made for humans, not Pokemon my size, but I managed to get down quietly. Once I was back on the first floor, I walked carefully, my ears perked for any unusual sound.

They caught one fairly quickly; the steady padding of paws. The sound was disturbingly familiar, and coming from the kitchen. But there was no way one of the Clan could be here. I shook my head, clearing away the almost scary thoughts.

I crept into the kitchen, still listening intently, and watching the darkness for any movement. I saw a dark shape sneaking around the table, and I walked forward a little more, trying to get a good look at it. The creature turned, amber eyes trained on me. Its voice, all too familiar, drifted over me in a purr.

"Well, well, Kitasha, my darling, fancy seeing you here, of all places." I hissed angrily in reply, my fur standing on end. Somehow, my mother had followed me.

"I thought I was finally rid of you," I growled, now recognizing the outline of Sirene's mane.

"You didn't miss me?" She asked, faking a hurt tone. "You wound me, Kitasha. You don't even care about your own mother?" I ignored her jibes—I was well past caring about her.

"Why are you here?" I said. "What is here that you could possibly want? I thought your life back home would be perfect, with me gone."

"Well, I didn't have much choice in the matter, darling," Sirene replied, beginning to walk around the chair that separated us. "I was just picked up and dropped here, much like you were, I suppose. And the man that did it isn't exactly nice. I do what he asks, and he gives me one of the juicy birds that seem plentiful in this world. I don't, and, well, I get nothing." She shrugged. "I have no quarrel with you, anyway, dear. My mission doesn't have a thing to do with you."

"It does if you're in my friend's home," I snapped back. "Get out." Sirene stood stock still for several moments, as though surprised by my outburst. Then, to my dismay, she started laughing.

"You think you can make me, little one? Go ahead, try. I don't mind putting you in your place, Kitasha." I growled at the comment. She wasn't going to do whatever she wanted to do in this world. I wasn't about to let her hurt Al, like she had Arrow.

I leaped at her, claws outstretched. Even in the dark, I could see her smirk. She batted me away easily with a forepaw, sending me onto the hard floor. I rolled onto my paws, growling. Sirene made no move to attack, and seemed hardly interested in what I was doing. I ran forward and jumped at her again.

"Same tactics? How dull," Sirene commented dryly, and swung her paw again. I was ready this time. Rather than simply letting it hit me, I latched onto her with my claws, and bit down, hard. She yowled in pain, shaking both her foreleg and me to get me to let go. I held on for only a few seconds longer before it became too much. I released her, and used the momentum from a swing to fall away. I landed shakily, my paws slipping on the flat surface.

"You little wretch!" She hissed balefully. "You _dare_ Bite me…!" She was cut off by a sound of footsteps above. Then, Al's voice drifted down the stairs.

"Shinx? Are you okay?"

"That's my cue to leave," Sirene went on quietly. "But we're not done here, Kitasha. You will learn your place, mark my words."

"And you'll learn yours," I growled back. "You don't have your Clan to back you up now. I'm not afraid of you."

She flashed me a feral grin. "Oh, it's not me you should be afraid of, dear daughter. My master will have more than enough pets to deal with you. I'm not the only pokémon he brought over." And with a flick of a star-tipped tail, she slinked into the shadows. I was about to follow her when I heard the telltale rhythmic 'clank' of Al behind me.

"There you are, Shinx!" I tried to move, but he scooped me up into his arms. "What was all that noise about?" I gave him a flat look.

"It wasn't _me_," I tried to tell him, but he didn't understand a thing I said. He carried me back up to the bedroom, deposited me in my bed, and went back to sleep, or whatever it was that he did at night.

I wanted to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Thoughts of Sirene creeping around kept me awake, though I was sure that she was gone now. After I tricked her, she'd be sure to run off and lick her wounds. What disturbed me was that she could come in any time she wanted, and this 'master' of hers apparently had more pokémon, like some kind of demented trainer. Was he the one that had brought me here, the one Ed and Al called Isorfold? If so, how did Al and Ed find me? And how, exactly, had he brought me here? It was about then that I realized that I'd known the truth all along; that I was in another world. I just hadn't wanted to admit it to myself. Ed and Al's words had nearly convinced me, and Sirene had provided that last push. There was no denying it now, but that didn't mean I liked it. Finally, I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, I saw the sun shining in through the window.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N(Phantom Sunsong)**: Sorry about the wait, guys! I've been really busy this week, but to make up for it, I'm giving you two chapters. Enjoy, and remember to leave a review!

_Chapter Four_

The room was empty, to my surprise. After listening, I didn't hear any noises down below. I climbed quickly to my feet, wondering if, perhaps, they had already left. I nosed my way out the door and carefully climbed down the stairs before finally reaching the first floor. I couldn't help recalling the night before. What had Sirene been doing? How had she known that I was here? Or had she been for something else; she'd said I'd had nothing to do with what she was doing. What really upset me was just her presence, here, in this world. Was it too much to ask to get away from it all and try to find some peace? Had she not done enough in killing Arrow? I blamed myself for that; I couldn't help it. If only he had been like the others, hadn't decided to trust me, maybe he'd still be alive…

After searching all the rooms, I deduced that they had, in fact, already left. A bowl of raisin berries lay in a bowl in the kitchen, but I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to eat. They kept revolving around Sirene.

That was when something tapped on the window, as I was passing through the front room.

I involuntarily squeaked and jumped, then paused, listening. After a few seconds, I heard it again, and this time managed not to completely freak out. Slowly, I turned, and when I got a good look at the creature in the window, I immediately regretted looking. Sharp eyes looked back it me, in a head of streamlined brown, white, and black feathers. Razor talons clung to the windowsill, and a wicked beak tapped on the glass again. It was a staravia.

Even as a cub, I had been warned to stay as far away from staravia as possible. They were among the few pokemon of the forest that the startail Clan had feared. They could kill most shinx if they wanted to, and even luxio and luxray had some trouble fighting them off. To see one when I was alone in an empty house wasn't making me feel any better. If Al, or even Ed, had been there, I wouldn't have been quite as worried, but now…

The only thing I could think to do was dive under the table next to me, to try and separate myself from it and the window in case it broke in. I could still hear it tapping, this time more urgently. I peeked once more, unable not to look any longer, and that was when I saw it; the arrow shaped marking on the bird pokemon's forehead.

It didn't seem possible. It couldn't be. Arrow was dead. I saw him myself. But…

I took a few steps out from under the table, still trying to figure out the truth. The staravia watched me, but there wasn't a killing intent behind those eyes.

"Arrow?" I asked aloud. The bird nodded. I felt hope and happiness grow in my chest. He hadn't died, he was still alive…

It was overwhelming. I felt hot tears begin to form in my eyes, tears of happiness, for once, but I blinked them away. I had to talk to him, to understand what was going on, why he was there. Why he wasn't dead, when I'd seen his mutilated corpse myself.

But how could I get outside? I glanced around the room, but it was no help. The windows were all closed, and there was no way I could get a door open. Was there even a way out?

Then it hit me. Sirene had found a way in and out; she'd been there just last night. That meant that there had to be an opening somewhere. If a luxray can get in, surely a shinx could get out.

I ran from the room towards the kitchen, feeling Arrow's eyes follow me as I went. There was no way I could explain exactly what I was doing.

As I went in, ignoring the raisins again, I tried to remember exactly where I'd seen Sirene the night before. It had been by the big wooden table… Hadn't it? The more I thought, the less I was sure. She'd come from somewhere in that direction, but beyond it. I padded in that direction, and found something surprising. It was a door, one I hadn't seen before. At the bottom was a flap on a hinge. It was definitely big enough for me to fit through… But it seemed almost too easy. I nudged it open with my paw, and once I was sure there wasn't some kind of trick to it, I slid under.

The world beyond was gray. I was in a human city, of that much I was sure. The door had led out to an alley, but from where I stood, I could still see the road that went past Ed and Al's home. There wasn't anything green, or living, for that matter, in sight. The day was a dreary one already, with low gray clouds that seemed to threaten rain.

I walked along the outer wall, trying to find the way back to the window in the front room. I hadn't walked far before I heard wings flapping impatiently, and I felt elation surge in me again.

"Arrow!" I said, and ran towards the noise.

"Tasha!" The voice was so familiar; a little deeper, but familiar nonetheless. The bird glided into my vision, and, for just a moment, the fear returned, but was gone almost as quickly.

"How'd you get here?" I asked quickly. "What happened?! How are you—"I cut myself off, and smiled sheepishly.

"The same way you did," he replied. "I was brought here. By my master." He said the last word with derision. "Or, at least, that's what he calls himself. He's worse than the worst trainer we've ever heard of, Tasha. We don't battle for the sake of it; we hardly battle at all. We do his bidding, capturing the creatures of this world so he can amass an army of us."

"An army?" I asked, blinking. "That doesn't even make sense. The trainers back home never tried to handle any more than six pokemon at once. What is he trying to do?"

"I don't know," he said with a sigh.

"How'd you get here?" I said, trying the change the uncomfortable subject. Birds can't smile, though I saw a familiar glint in his eyes, one that I knew meant he was smiling inside.

"I followed Sirene last night," he replied, his tone mischievous. "My master has probably noticed that I'm gone by now, but I don't care. I'm done following him. I'd heard he'd brought you here, and I couldn't stay."

"Thank you, Arrow," I said, touched by how he felt.

"What have you been doing?" I know a pained expression crossed my face. I saw it in the concern in his eyes. "What? What is it?"

"I…I thought you died," I managed to say. Shock crossed his features.

"_What_? How, what-"

"The hunters brought in a starly the morning before I came here," I explained, the memory still haunting even though I could see him here now, alive. "It had an arrow marking, like you. I thought it _was _you."

"But it couldn't have been," he replied. "I was already gone. He brought me here seven days ago. Then who…" He stopped, and the shock was replaced with horror. "No. The only other starly with a marking like mine was my sister." He turned away, and I looked down. I remembered now; Arrow had told me often enough about his sister, Flin. Though different in age, they both shared the marking of their father, and I had always thought they looked nearly alike, except that Arrow was bigger. The two had been close, and I knew this news had to be devastating.

"Arrow, I'm sorry, I—" I began, but he cut me off.

"It's not your fault, Tasha," he said, voice strained. "But I know whose it is. And she'll pay. You mark my words."

"Sirene?" I questioned. "Arrow, you can't beat her, not alone! She's much too strong for you, even now! She's a luxray!"

"Then will you help me?" He turned back to me, hope and anger in those dark eyes. "Please, Tasha. I can't do it without you." I paused, hesitant. I remembered my words from the night before. I had said that I wasn't afraid of her, but they had been just that; words. I _was _afraid of her. I always had been, since I was little. She would have killed me, back in the forest. She still would, even now. I thought I had nothing to lose back then, but it was almost funny how a few days could completely change that. I didn't want to die, not when I had both Arrow and Al.

But Arrow wouldn't let this rest. He wanted vengeance, and killing Sirene was the only way he could get it. I couldn't let him do something like this alone.

"We can't kill her," I pressed. "That's like stooping to her level."

"Don't tell me you sympathize with her," he asked, sounding disgusted.

"I don't," I growled back. "I hate her as much as you do. But killing her isn't the answer."

"Then what do _you _propose we do?" He asked, seeming to, at least for now, grudgingly agree with me.

"I'm good with just beating her up." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Fine." He sounded happy to at least do that much. "Thank you, Tasha. I know I can count on you."

"Where is she now?" I asked him.

"Your friends ran my master out of his previous place," Arrow told me, sounding amused. "But Sirene will be staying there for the moment. She's waiting for them to come back, along with my Master's other pokemon, a typhlosion."

"No!" I exclaimed, alarmed and frightened. Ed and Al, they were walking into a trap! "We have to go! Now! Before they get hurt!"

"Right!" He spread out his wings, then ducked down closer to the ground. "Hurry! Climb on my back."

"Won't I be too heavy?" I inquired, surprised. We'd had a similar idea when we were younger, in the forest, but Arrow hadn't been able to get off the ground with me. He laughed, making a raucous cawing sound.

"Not anymore," he replied. "Now hurry! We don't have much time." I nodded quickly and climbed on, trying not to ruffle his feathers. Once I was standing on his back, I ducked down, trying to make myself smaller, and clung to the feathers there with my claws. If it caused any pain, Arrow didn't seem to notice.

"Hold on!" He said, then flapped his powerful wings. Within seconds, we were airborne.

The feeling was magnificent. The wind blew past my face, and I could see the gray world spread out below us, growing smaller by the second as Arrow gained altitude. I didn't recognize any of the places, but I didn't expect to. I hadn't gotten to see the outside since I arrived here.

"How far is it, Arrow?" I managed to say over the rushing of the wind.

"Not far," the Staravia replied. "It won't take long." I nodded, momentarily forgetting he wouldn't be able to see me. I hoped that he was right, for Al's sake. I wasn't sure how long he and his brother could hold out against a typhlosion and my mother.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Since the night two days before when Ed had chased Isorfold out of the apartment building and through the city, the wall had been fixed, as Al had promised, but the tunnel leading to the basement had been left untouched. Investigations had been there already, and took the notes and items the alchemist had left behind. They knew now that he had had other chimera, or rather, strange animals. There were even scorch marks on the wall of another room, though how they got there was still a mystery.

The only thing left of any real consequence was the transmutation circle. No one on the Investigations team that had been there had been an alchemist, and so none of them understood what the circle was for. Only a State Alchemist could find out that. Ed had had experience with the transmutation circles used in chimera creation, from documenting what was left of the notes written by Shou Tucker, a man arrested for turning his daughter, Nina, into a chimera. He could tell at a glance that wasn't what this one was for.

"It's just like Mustang said," Ed commented aloud, touching the edge of the circle with a hesitant finger. The dark space was illuminated by a lone lamp the Investigations team had left, and the other doorways that led off of it were dark. Al stood not far behind, the light glittering off his armor.

"The circle is for transportation, then?" Al concluded.

"Yeah," Ed replied, standing straight. "Or, at least, I think it is. I don't know enough about it to be for sure, but it's for transporting one thing somewhere, and getting something equal in return."

"So he sent animals from our world across the Gate, and got animals from that world in return," Al said with a nod. "And we know it worked. Shinx is living proof of that.

"But it doesn't really help us any," Ed pointed out, his tone aggravated. "We don't know where he might have gone, or even what other animals he might have brought over." He sighed. "This was pretty much pointless. Just confirming what we already know."

"Yeah…"Al agreed with a sigh. "We'd better get back to Shinx, anyway. She's probably wondering where we are by now." Ed just shook his head.

"Al, you worry too much. I'm sure she's fine."

"I dunno, Brother," Al said, sounding unsure. "I just have a bad feeling about all this. I think we should—" Al immediately stopped when Ed held up a hand, his expression suddenly grim. Al didn't even dare move for a second, then whispered, "Brother, what is it?"

"I heard something," he said back, a little louder, then shook his head. "It was probably nothing. C'mon, let's go." The two turned to leave, both a little quicker than they had come in. The noise, in spite of Ed's claim that it was nothing, had made them both uneasy.

They were only half way to the door when the growling began. Ed whirled, his hands coming together. The clap echoed through the room, and alchemical energy sparked around his right arm. It ripped apart his sleeve and glove, revealing the metal beneath. The cover of his automail elongated into a sharpened blade.

The growling only increased. They saw movement in the shadows, and both readied themselves for a fight. In a flash of orange light, their opponent was lit up. The creature was big, nearly as tall as Ed, but bulkier. It stood on two stocky back legs, its front a light cream color, with darker fur on its back. Its front legs were longer and sporting claws, while fangs were revealed in its long maw as it snarled. A pair of red eyes glared balefully at them, and its triangular navy ears were back in a show of anger. That wasn't what really startled the two Elric brothers the most. What startled them was the source of the light. It was from controlled flames that had sprouted from the creature's back, like a fiery mane.

"That explains the burn marks," Ed muttered, and the creature stooped down on all fours and took a step forward.

"Typhlosion," it said deliberately, still glaring. "Ty... Typhlosion!"

Both Al and Ed waited, expecting the creature to pounce at any minute. Instead it just stood, mane blazing. Like it was waiting for something.

Realization hit Ed first. He'd forgotten that these creatures were intelligent, if Shinx was anything to go by. And no one had said it didn't have an accomplice. He turned back around, just in time to see a black and blue figure let loose bright yellow lightning at him.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong)**: This'll be the last chapter for a bit, partly because I've got basketball starting now, and I'll have less time to write, and partly because I'm involved in a kind of tournament on the PE2K forum, where I'm going to be writing a new one-shot each week. I also don't have the next part of the story planned out, so I need to do that. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to get more up soon.

_Chapter Five_

In spite of the fact that Arrow assured me that the building below us was where I had first come into this world, I didn't recognize it. It just looked like any of the other gray buildings below us. We circled once before landing on the roof, near an air vent.

"This vent goes straight to the basement," Arrow explained once I'd climbed off his back. "It should take us directly down to where Sirene is waiting for your friends."

"Alright," I said, looking down inside. "Let's go. We can't waste any time." I jumped through the square opening, with Arrow close behind.

The metal tunnel was bigger than I had expected. I was able to stand and walk easily, though Arrow had more trouble and had to keep his wings folded to his side and himself bent forward. We walked for what felt like forever, always down a slight incline, occasionally turning, or walking around holes that led down into other rooms. Finally, I walked past a grate, until Arrow grabbed my tail in his beak. He shook his head, indicating we shouldn't go on. We were there.

I peered through the grating and saw Ed and Al, walking towards a doorway. I nearly sighed with relief. They were still alright. They both whirled when growling started, and, though I couldn't see whatever was making the noise, I knew it wasn't my mother. It didn't sound like a luxray at all. She had to be close, though.

I stepped out of the way, and Arrow grabbed a nail in his beak and pulled it out easily. Another came out on the opposite corner, and the covering fell away. As it fell, I saw Sirene creeping out of the shadows just behind Al and Ed, with their backs turned. Electricity began building around her mane and on her legs. There wasn't much time. I dashed past Arrow, and leapt into space.

Ed turned just as I jumped, and Sirene released the Discharge attack. Electricity built up in my fur as I fell, until I hit the ground. My Spark attack, bluer compared to my mother's yellow attack, lashed out and blocked some of the Discharge, but it wasn't powerful enough hold it all back. Lightning coursed through me, burning and numbing. I faltered, leaving Ed and Al staring at me, dumbfounded.

"Bad move, Kitasha," Sirene hissed, any trace of sweetness gone. "You should know better than to get between me and my prey."

"I won't let you hurt them," I growled back. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Electricity was building in my mouth, around my fangs. I jumped, mouth wide to bite down on my mother in a Thunder Fang. She dodged easily, leaving me to fall to the ground. She turned away from me, her gaze falling on Ed. She took one step forward before she lunged.

Ed cried out, and put his right arm forward. Her Crunch attack caught it, tearing through the red coat sleeve. I waited, stricken, for him to scream, until I noticed something sticking out of that sleeve; a metal blade. He smirked and pushed Sirene. She growled, but wouldn't yield, and shoved back. I took the chance and leaped up, catching her tail in my mouth in a Bite. She relinquished her grip on Ed's arm, but not before tearing away most of the human's sleeve. Beneath was just metal.

I let go in time to miss her attacking me with her claws, but fell on my side. When I did, my head slipped to the side, and I saw Al, and the Typhlosion that Arrow had mentioned before, with the Staravia himself harrying the fire type from above. I didn't have time to worry about them, though. I slid back to my feet.

Sirene was startled by Ed's arm, while the boy just grinned.

"You act like you've never seen a metal arm before, kitty," he sneered. "Scared?"

"Shut up, human," she spat back, but I could tell she was shaken. Things were beginning to make sense now, like why his hand had felt so cold in Mustang's office. He had a metal arm. He didn't seem too worried about it. He thrust the blade forward, and Sirene dodged nimbly aside, but not before he slashed up. She hissed as the blade cut into her side, and sent a steady Spark at him, the most electricity she could build up quickly. He moved out of the way of the attack easily, faster than I would have given him credit for. For a human, he seemed like he was used to fighting.

"Tasha!" Arrow's call brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked back to the battle with the typhlosion. Al was blocking a steady stream of flame erupting from the pokemon's mane, and Arrow couldn't even get close.

I wasn't sure how long he could last as armor, but even metal could melt. I charged up electricity as quickly as I could, focusing on releasing a big attack. Arrow realized exactly what I was using, and flew out of the way to help Ed against Sirene.

When I felt like I could hold the electricity no more, I just let it all go. It left me explosively, in the biggest Discharge attack I'd ever managed to make, though most of it was directed at the typhlosion. It took the attack, the lightning brightening the space, and staggered backwards. Al looked at me, standing winded, in what I could only guess was shock. The volcano pokemon shook its head, trying to clear away the pain, and turned to face a glare at me. Dropping to all fours, it started to advance, its flaming mane growing wilder by the second.

I stepped back quickly, my eyes wide in fear. I couldn't retaliate so soon after; my electricity was spent for the moment, and in any case, the attack hadn't seemed to do anything aside from agitate the typhlosion.

"I have no quarrel with you, Shinx," the fire type said, his voice low and rough. "Or your Staravia friend. What you do is of no consequence to me. But do not get in my way. I must complete my task." He seemed indifferent about what he was trying to do, like the killing meant nothing to him. Though I was still afraid, anger built up in me as well, and I remembered why I was fighting.

"I can't let you do that!" I yowled in response, and dove low, aiming for one of its hind legs to Bite. He jumped out of my way, eyes narrowing.

"So be it," he said, and slashed out with a front paw. The attack was nowhere near me, leaving me puzzled and open. Bright stars of light leapt from the claws, spinning rapidly, and I didn't have time to avoid the Swift attack. It hit me head on, stinging as they burst on my chest and side.

"Shinx!" Al's cry brought me out of the pain. The attack wasn't that bad; not as painful as Sirene's Discharge. I shook it off, and faced the typhlosion, but too late. His mane was already growing hotter, lighting the room up with its red flames. He fell to all fours, and ducked his head. With his mane facing me, the flames exploded outward.

I cried out in terror, and turned away from what I was sure would burn me to death, but before the searing heat came, I heard a clanking sound. I opened my eyes, and saw metal. Al had jumped in front of me to take the Lava Plume attack. Looking up, I saw his red eyes staring down at me as the flames blackened the back of his armor. He scooped me up in his metal arms, just like I remembered him doing back at Mustang's office.

He stood, and the flames subsided. Al turned, and the typhlosion was left blinking in surprise.

"I don't know why you're doing this," Al said to him, his voice sounding hard, "but this has to stop. You're going to hurt someone." The typhlosion just growled angrily in reply. Al quickly set me back on the ground, and took a fighting stance, his hands out with fingers together.

The typhlosion turned and ran into a corner of the cavernous room, and, at first, I thought it might be retreating. At least, until it turned back around and dove forward, tucking in its head and legs to roll. He started off fast, and Al paused, surprised by the tactics. The suit of armor stepped out of the way as the typhlosion rolled past. The spinning ball of navy and white turned before it reached a wall, and angled back. Al took another step forward, barely missing again. When the typhlosion came around once more, Al was ready, and stepped out of the way. I thought the typhlosion would simply sail past again, but he jumped up instead, his mane igniting to turn the Rollout into a Flame Wheel. He hit Al squarely in the chest, forcing him back, and knocking his head clean off. The suit of armor lost balance, and fell to the ground with a clatter of metal on stone.

"Al!" The sound had been enough to distract Ed from his own fight. I turned, in time to see Sirene taking advantage of the opening to lunge at his throat.

"No!" I cried, but I was too far away. I could only watch on in horror.

And then a streak of white and brown struck her side.

The Brave Bird attack hurled Sirene away from Ed and into a wall, but not without hurting Arrow. He fell away from her, weakly climbing to his feet. She howled in anger and jumped at him. An image of Flin, torn open and dead, flashed through my head. I couldn't let that happen again. With a yowl, I ran forward and leaped. I gained enough momentum to knock her off course as I dug in my teeth, electricity traveling through them into her.

She batted at me with a paw, and I fell away, too exhausted to fight any more. I saw Arrow take to the air again, and she hissed angrily, then spun to me, while I tried to climb shakily to my feet.

"You've meddled one time too many, Kitasha," she spat as she drew closer. "Now you'll die." She lifted a paw, but, the same as all that time ago, when she was going to kill me back in my world, she was far too slow. The stone floor shot up, with blue electricity sparking all around it, and pushed Sirene away from me. I looked in the direction it had come from, to see Ed with his palms on the floor.

"Bad kitty," he said, standing straight. "Don't pick on Shinx." He stepped forward as Sirene scrambled to her feet. She took one wide-eyed look at him and turned tail and ran, away through a dark doorway. He grinned cockily. "Scaredy cat." He turned backwards, smile evaporating, and I followed his gaze. Al and Arrow were still fighting the typhlosion, with the armor lashing out with a fist. It struck the typhlosion in the chest, driving it back. It winced, obviously growing more and more tired.

"Out of the way, Al! We're taking this one back alive!" Ed called, then ran forward. The suit of armor stepped away, and Ed clapped, then slapped his hand to the floor. Bright blue electricity lit up the air around him, and the floor reared up again, like a living creature. It formed a hand, then shot out, capturing the Typhlosion against the wall.

"That should hold it," Ed said, beginning to walk up to it, then stopped as flames shot out from between the fingers. In that moment I wondered whether the stone hand would stop the typhlosion.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong)**: Reposting because I edited the beginning. Much different, but I think I like it better. Sorry if you don't.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six<em>

The day was a dreary one, with a mist of rain blanketing the small town. Only a few people wandered the gray streets in the downpour, and those that did were too worried about getting out of the rain to notice the figure keeping to the shadows. The four-legged creature was too large to be a dog, with a thick black mane and piercing yellow eyes.

Sirene was looking for someone.

She kept to the walls to help keep out of the rain, but she was still getting soaked. She hated the wet, but there wasn't a choice. He'd been very specific. He wanted to see her the moment after the fight had ended.

She finally came to the place. She remembered it from the smell of fried human foods, permeating even through the rain. She stalked past a dumpster overflowing with trash, and finally found him.

It was another luxray. He was larger than she, with a longer mane, showing he was a male. His legs were thin but muscular, and his tail flicked irritably. Even from where she stood, she could see his deep purple, almost red eyes. His ears perked up, and he turned to her when he heard her steps.

"It was done, then?"

"Yes," she said, her voice seeming subdued. "But you didn't tell me about the human's... powers."

"It wasn't important," he growled in reply. "All that is important is that he was left unharmed." He stared her in the eyes. "You know who to follow, don't you?" She met his gaze for only a moment, then turned away, seeming almost disgusted with herself.

"Of course," she hissed. "You're the only one that can take me back home."

"Good. Remember that, and keep doing exactly as I tell you. The plan is working exactly as it should." He flicked his tail in an obvious dismissal, but Sirene paused, as though thinking over something. Finally, she spoke again.

"The typhlosion... I left him. He's probably captured by now." The other luxray just shrugged.

"He was of no consequence. He won't matter in the end. As I said, it's going according to plan." She nodded, then turned and padded away, though she still seemed unsure. He watched her until she disappeared.

"Is she getting troublesome?" Though the voice was a human one, the luxray didn't seem worried. A smirk that seemed almost too wide for the cat's face split his features, and he looked back farther into the alley. There a woman leaned against the brick wall, her long hair dark, and her body curved voluptuously. She wore a tight black dress that exposed both her cleavage and the tattoo above it, of a serpent eating its tail, with a symbol inside. As she watched, the luxray's mouth and throat began to change. Sparks of blue electricity played across the changing skin, but the grin remained, only as a human mouth filled with sharp teeth.

"You should be careful, Lust," the creature said, in a human voice that seemed to suggest that it was neither truly male nor female. "These creatures have excellent senses. They can even see through walls."

"A trick that might come in handy," the aforementioned Lust replied. "But I came just as she was leaving." She paused, and then, as though noticing something was missing, the luxray/human gave her a speculative look.

"Where's Gluttony?"

"Eating," she said dismissively. "So, Envy, is he ready to receive our gift?"

"Not yet, but soon." Envy looked back the way Sirene had disappeared. "And that's when things will get interesting." And as he watched, the rest of his body began to change. Fur turned to pale skin and tight black cloth, and long streaks of dark green hair burst from the top of his head. By the time he stood, he was no longer luxray, but completely human. His age, and truthfully his gender, were hard to ascertain, but his body seemed young and fit. A black tank top covered his upper chest, and he wore a matching skirt as well, with dark gloves and socks that ended just below his fingers and toes. An onyx-colored headband covered most of his forehead, and on it was a red triangular marking. On his left thigh was a tattoo identical to Lust's. He turned back, his hair whirling behind him, and walked past Lust.

"We might as well get out of the rain."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The flames gradually grew weaker and weaker, until they sputtered out altogether. The hand grew still, but no one dared go near it, in case the typhlosion was still awake and ready to char anyone who got too close. It was Ed who finally took the final steps, and peered inside the hand with golden eyes. He gave a sigh of relief, then glanced back at Al with a satisfied smirk.

"It's out," he announced, and stepped back. He clapped his hands, the mechanical one still lacking a white glove, and pressed them to the hand. The cement flowed downward like water, wrapping the pokemon in tendrils. The fire type was unconscious; it laid still through the whole ordeal, eyes closed and body limp in utter exhaustion. For half a second, I expected Ed or Al to take out a pokeball, until I remembered exactly where I was. There weren't supposed to be pokemon here, let alone pokeballs.

"We should get this back to Central," Ed said, then paused, and sighed. "We can't take it on the train, though. That means I'll have to go call the Colonel." He rolled his eyes irritably, then turned to Al.

"Stay here with the chimeras," he said, pointing. "I'll call someone to come pick this thing up." Without another word, Ed was off, running up the stairs and into the floor above.

"Brother..." Al sighed slightly, then sat on the floor heavily. His armor was still covered in burns from his fight with the typhlosion. I wasn't sure whether or not he was tired from the fight, but he looked it.

I felt a rush of air beside me, and looked to the side as Arrow landed. He gave me a piercing stare with those dark eyes of his. It was still surprising, thinking of him as more than the little starly I'd remembered him as, but he really was a staravia now. His wicked beak and talons seemed proof enough of that. And yet, here I was, still an average Shinx.

"Your new human friends are... interesting," he commented. "And surprisingly strong for humans." I nodded.

"We wouldn't have been able to beat Sirene and the typhlosion without them," I replied, then gave him a small smile. "They aren't so bad, for humans. Ed, the small one, is irritating, but Al is really nice." Arrow sent a hazardous look in Al's direction.

"Him? He's kinda..."

"Scary, I know," I replied. "But he's really sweet."

"I didn't know you could fight like that, Shinx!" Al surprised me when he cut in with the sudden comment. I turned to the suit of the armor, to find his red eyes on me. "You can generate electricity... I guess the Colonel was right." He paused. "Your bird friend was probably brought here by Isorfold, too. He's already brought over more than we realized..." He looked down at the prone form of the typhlosion. We all stayed silent for several more minutes, each in our own thoughts. I was thinking about what would happen now, with Sirene still out there. Would the alchemist, Isorfold, be bringing more pokemon over?

"Arrow," I asked, a thought coming to me. "How many pokemon did your master bring here?"

"Hm?" Arrow paused for a second. "Well, me, you, Sirene, and the Typhlosion, so that's... Four?" I nodded.

"That's good. At least he doesn't have any more."

"I wouldn't count on that," Arrow said with a sigh. "He could be bringing more of us here, even now. It's hard to say."

"You mean we're no better off than before?" I asked sadly. He nodded. "Ugh..." I slumped to floor. What was the point in all this? Could we really stop this man from bringing more Pokemon where we don't belong, when he could conjure up more at any time?

"It's him we have to get," Arrow said. "Him and Sirene. He used to have the Typhlosion go and get most of his sacrifices, the little creatures he used to exchange us, but I think Sirene is more efficient. Without her, he'll have trouble doing anything."

"But how?" I shot back. "She's so much bigger than us, and faster, and stronger..." The more I listed, the more hopeless it all seemed.

"We can't just give up," Arrow put in. "Whatever he's doing, it can't be good, and we can't just let him enslave innocent Pokemon." I nodded.

"Yeah, but..." I trailed off as I heard the sound of heavy boots coming down the stairs. Ed's blonde head poked around the corner.

"Hey, Al," he said, "Mustang's sending Havoc, along with a car. They'll help us get this chimera back to East Headquarters." I started; while I was talking to Arrow, I had almost forgotten Al was there. "They should be here soon. We need to get it up the stairs, along with the other two, with as few people seeing it as possible."

"They aren't chimeras, Brother," Al cut in as he stood, then began to unbuckle his chest plate.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what to call them, so they'll be chimeras for the moment," the shorter alchemist replied crossly. He strode over to help his brother, his arm already back to normal and lacking a blade, and heaved the typhlosion into Al's armor. Then he turned to me.

"You know the drill, Shinx," he said, twitching a finger at her. "C'mon." I glared at him, but climbed to my feet and walked over slowly. I smirked as he grew increasingly more irate, then dodged his hands when he tried to grab me, and simply jumped into the unoccupied leg of the armor. I could hear Al's laughter as he buckled the front plate back on.

"Shut up, Al," Ed grumbled. "I told you that thing doesn't like me."

"She just doesn't like your haughty attitude," Al told him. Ed ignored the comment.

I heard a flurry of wings, and I guessed that Arrow had taken off on his own, and Al began walking. It didn't take long before I started feeling sick again, like I had the first time, when I was in the armor alone. And, plus, I could smell the typhlosion; a combination of sweat and ash. There was still that scent from the first time, hauntingly familiar, but I couldn't quite identify it. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, and I really didn't want to think about it.

We walked up the stairs without any mishaps. The typhlosion remained motionless, apparently still out. We walked a bit farther, until I began to feel raindrops dripping through the cracks in the armor. We were outside.

We didn't wait long after that. I heard a strange roaring noise, like some kind of angry pokemon, along with the splash of water. The roar grew louder, like whatever it was coming closer. I felt my fur lay down flat on my back, and I curled as low as I could into Al's foot. The sound was almost fearsome.

Finally, the sound grew quieter, and Al started moving. I heard a door opening, and Al climbed inside something and sat down.

"Hey, Chief." The voice was one I didn't recognize, but it was definitely human.

"Thank you for coming, Lieutenant Havoc," Al said, polite as ever.

"We're going straight to Headquarters, right, Havoc?" I heard Ed ask.

"Sure, sure," the other voice said, who I guessed was Havoc. We began moving, and I realized that we must be in some kind of vehicle. It was probably the car Ed was talking about. "I'm guessing you got some information?"

"Yes," Ed said curtly, indicating that he didn't want to discuss the subject. Havoc didn't appear to notice it.

"So? What was so important that you needed a car?"

"That's classified information," Ed snapped. "And you don't need to-"

"Found another chimera?" Ed stopped halfway through his sentence. I could imagine his mouth gaping open.

"... How did you..." The boy trailed off.

"The Colonel has a tendency to mention things like that," Havoc replied. "So?"

"Yes," Al told him. "But we think that this one may be dangerous, more so than Shinx."

"Shinx?" Havoc asked.

"The one we had first," Ed explained. "Speaking of which, I wonder how she managed to follow us... Al?"

"It wasn't me, Brother!" The armor said quickly. "She must have come with the bird."

"I-" Ed began, then sighed. "Alright. We'll assume that for right now. It makes as much sense as an electric cat and a monster with a mane made of fire."

"... Mane made of fire?" Havoc sounded surprised. "You guys have been busy. By the way, where is it?"

"In Al's armor," Ed replied. "It's out cold, though, so it'll be fine." Talking about the typhlosion reminded me of how close it was. I peeked up over the side of Al's leg to take a look at it. It didn't look like it had moved a bit. Satisfied that it was still unconscious, I crouched back down in Al's leg.

That seemed to be the last of the conversation, at least for the moment. Most of the rest of the ride was spent in silence. Finally, after a series of turns, the car came to a stop.

"Here we are," Havoc said. "You guys are going to see the Colonel, right? I'll come with you." Hinges screeched open, and I felt Al getting out of the vehicle. The doors closed, and he started walking.

They opened doors and climbed stairs, and I felt myself getting more and more nauseous. When I was sure I would probably get sick soon, Al walked through a doorway and stopped. A very familiar voice rang out.

"What is it you've caught this time, Fullmetal?" Mustang's voice practically dripped with sarcasm. "Another little kitty?"

"You might like this one, Mustang," Ed said mischievously. "It makes fire."

"What?" I heard a chair being pushed back. "Show me."

"It's a little dangerous," Ed replied arrogantly. "But it's knocked out right now, so I suppose we could..." There was a pause, and then Al began opening his armor.

I blinked at the gray light drifting in before jumping out. I didn't feel like waiting for Ed to pull me out. I walked over to sit to one side of Al, and took stock of my surroundings.

I hadn't really noticed much about the room the last time I'd been there, but it was rather bare. Aside from Mustang's desk, there was a brown sofa, and not much else. The walls were an almost sterile white, and the only thing of much interest was the window, but it just looked out over a bleak, gray city.

Mustang himself, looking the same as before with his black hair, dark eyes, and blue suit-type uniform, was watching Ed tug the typhlosion out of Al's armor. There were two other people there as well that I didn't recognize. One was a blonde man with blue eyes, wearing the same uniform as Mustang, and had a white stick hanging out of his mouth. He was watching the proceedings with interest. I hazarded a guess that this was probably Havoc, considering he was the only man in the room I didn't recognize. The other was a woman, her long blonde hair pulled back in a bun and her critical brown eyes on me. She, too, wore the uniform. She remained silent, but continued watching me closely.

"This is... incredible," I heard Mustang mutter. I broke eye contact with the woman and turned to him. He was looking at the dark spots on the back of the typhlosion.

"You said the whole back of this thing's neck was on fire?"

"Yeah," Ed replied with a nod.

"Then it must have amazing control over the flames," Mustang surmised, "or fire-proof fur, for it to not be completely bald here. Either way, it almost seems impossible."

"Um, Colonel, there's one more thing," Al cut in. "We found out something about Shinx. She can generate and control electricity." All eyes turned to me, and I shifted nervously under their scrutiny. Was it really all that great?

"Isorfold was right on about these things, so it seems," Mustang concluded. "They do have amazing powers. That makes it all the more important that we find him, before he gets any more."

"What are we going to do with this one, though?" Ed asked, pointing to the typhlosion.

"I'll worry about it," Mustang assured them. Ed scowled.

"You mean you'll take it to be cut apart and examined." I started at that. Cut apart? They were actually going to kill him? And what about me?

"I can't tell the Research Division what they can and can't do, Fullmetal," Mustang replied, though he didn't sound the least bit sorry. "I can't guarantee that they won't."

"You're not taking Shinx," Ed told him firmly. I gave him a surprised look. He actually cared? A small smirk crossed Mustang's lips.

"I thought you disliked the creature, Fullmetal."

"Yeah, well, I do," he growled back. "But, much as I hate to admit it, she helped out a lot when we were fighting that thing and a bigger cat. And Al likes her. There'd be no living with him if something happened to her." My surprise turned to a scowl. I shouldn't have expected any more from Ed. Al just sighed and scooped me up in his arms, almost protectively.

"Alright, Fullmetal," Mustang said, still smiling. "I'll let you keep the kitty. For now." He acted like he was about to add more, but as he opened his mouth to continue, the typhlosion shifted. His face turned serious, and he, Ed, and Al all stepped back. The stern woman instantly pulled a black object from a pouch at her side. It was made of black metal, with a part that stuck down to serve as a handle, and a longer section jutting out forward with a hole at the front. Havoc pulled out a similar object. Both aimed it in the direction of the stirring typhlosion.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong)**: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a new chapter! I'm going to be doing this a bit differently; I'm not going to post chapters as I get them done, but rather wait until I've finished a capture. And once I do, you'll be getting them once a week, or perhaps sooner if I feel so inclined (reviews may improve the speed, by the way). So, I hope you like this new chapter, because more will be following. I also drastically changed the first part of the last chapter, so you may want to go read it.

_Chapter Seven_

I jumped out of Al's arms. I couldn't just sit and watch what was happening. The woman and Havoc had weapons of some kind. I didn't know how deadly they might be, but I couldn't let them just kill the typhlosion.

It shook its head slowly, waking up, and all the humans remained tense. Finally, it blinked, and gained its bearings. I could see the anger in its expression.

"Just calm down," I tried to coax it. "You'll be " I bit back my words when it broke the concrete bonds Ed had made. As they fell to the floor, a loud boom rang through a room. A projectile, almost too small and fast to see, cut through the air, and into the typhlosion's shoulder. It howled in pain, and in an immediate reaction, its mane lit on fire. I heard a clap, and stepped back quickly. Blue lightning from Ed's palms crawled across the floor as it reared up into lashing tentacles, trying to wrap themselves around the typhlosion and restrain it again. The fire type was having none of it. It dodged the attack, though it was favoring the injured shoulder. I could see the red wound already bleeding sluggishly. It took a swipe and shattered one of the tentacles.

"Stop!" I yowled, but no one seemed to hear me. Mustang took a step forward, and snapped his fingers with a gloved hand. Red sparks mingled with the same blue lightning Ed created whenever he clapped his hands. The sparks ignited midair, and a blast of fire made a bee line for the typhlosion.

I was stunned. I'd never heard of a human creating fire so effortlessly. Only fire type pokemon could do that. But then, this world was full of strange things, like the complete lack of pokemon, Al, who had a body of metal, and Ed, clapping his hands and controlling stone.

The typhlosion was surprised as well, for about a half a second, before it lowered its head. Fire met fire as the flames of its mane grew brighter, and absorbed the dark-haired human's attack. Mustang looked astonished.

"You should have expected that, sir," the woman said, her voice as no-nonsense as her appearance. She took a step in front of him protectively, weapon ready to fire. "You won't be of any use against a creature that can control fire."

"Wait!" Al shouted. He'd managed to grab a hold of his brother, who was still looking ready to fight. Ed was struggling against his grip on the back of his red coat. "Everyone, just calm down! We don't need to fight it!"

"Al, it's already attacked us!" Ed snapped back. "It might attack again!"

"Or it might change its mind against so many of us," Al reasoned. "Please, it's injured. We don't want to make it any angrier." The others seemed to find his words reasonable, and backed off somewhat, though the woman or the other male didn't lower their weapons. I took several careful steps towards the typhlosion.

"It's okay," I said, trying to sound soothing. "Just calm down. There's no need to fight." Its eyes turned to me, and the fury I saw there made me shiver.

"There's every reason to fight," he growled. "I'm tired of this place, and the humans here. I want to go back home, to get back to my trainer. My partner. Perhaps if I die, this nightmare will end, and I'll awaken back there." He turned to the woman with the weapon and rose, ready to attack.

"No!" I yowled back quickly. "Don't! Don't throw your life away! This isn't a dream!" The words only stopped him for a second, but that second was enough. The woman pulled the trigger. Another projectile flew through the air, but it didn't hit the Pokemon fatally, as I had feared it would. He dodged to the side, and it grazed his arm. He then lunged at her, claws ready. She aimed again.

I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let him just throw his life away like that. I leaped forward, and struck him in the side with my forepaws. My momentum was enough; I must have hit him just right to knock him over. We both hit the floor, and I quickly concentrated. Electricity flowed between us in a weak Spark, but it was enough. I could feel his muscles tense under me as paralysis set in. I stepped off him, sure he wouldn't be able to move, at least for the moment.

"Well, that was interesting." I whirled, to see Mustang standing beside the woman with the weapon. She had lowered it, but she wasn't putting it away yet. "I can't doubt your story now, Fullmetal."

"Now's not the time for talking," Ed growled. "This thing is still awake, Shinx just immobilized it. We need to do something with it."

"Fine. I'll call Research, tell them to get a cell ready. You get it tied up again." I shook a little at his words. A cell. I wouldn't have wished that on even my mother. Would they really kill him? Had my attempt at saving him been in vain? Would it have been better for me to let him die fighting than prolonging his agony?

I shifted a little closer to the typholsion, watching him. I could see the hatred still in his eyes. Hatred of me, of the humans that were imprisoning him, and of the one that had brought him here.

I had to sympathize with him on the last one.

"I'm sorry," I told him quietly, and then turned away shamefully.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ed, Al, and I left before they came to take the typhlosion away, and for that I was glad. I didn't want to see the moment. I'd helped in his capture, and I felt all the worse for it.

Before we left, Ed and Al described both Sirene and Arrow to Mustang as well. He urged them to capture them both, and though Ed and Al both nodded, I hoped they weren't thinking of imprisoning Arrow. I'd keep him away if I had to; I couldn't let them take him away to be locked up. Sirene I didn't care about. She deserved whatever they had in store for her.

Now, though, I was nestled in Al's armor again. I had nothing to do but hold back my nausea, listen to Ed and Al talking, and try not to think about what I'd just done. They had started up a conversation as soon as they were out of the building.

"Brother, do you really think they'll- "

"I hope not, Al," Ed replied. I was surprised by the tone of his voice. It seemed tired, more so than I had ever heard it, and didn't have the same arrogance it usually did. "I... I don't think Mustang will really let them kill it. Not yet, anyway. It, it'll..." He trailed off. The two walked in silence for a while longer, until Ed broke it.

"Well, there's no point in moping over it. What's done is done. We have to keep moving forward, and find Isorfold and the other chimeras. We have to keep him from bringing any more over, and get this done with, so we can continue searching for the Philosopher's Stone." The last part caught my attention. Philosopher's Stone? Why were they looking for a stone? I couldn't help but think about the evolution stones in comparison. Was it something like that?

"But what about his research?" Al asked. "Couldn't someone still duplicate what he's done?"

"I'll worry about that, Al." That tone of pride, along with mischief, was back in his voice. "I'll make sure no one can do it again, if I have to burn the stuff myself. No one else is going to be getting any of it."

"But Brother," Al replied, startled, "if you get caught, they'll "

"If I don't get caught, I won't get caught," Ed cut in. "Don't worry about it, Al. Sooner than you know it, we'll be back to our search. Besides, we're back at the barracks, and I'm exhausted." I heard Ed running forward, but I was thankful that Al followed at a slower rate. I heard a door open, and as soon as it closed, Al's armor opened. I jumped out onto the wooden floor quickly, glad to be back in a familiar place. The front room was the same way we had left it. There was still the various pieces of furniture, stacked with books and papers from the brothers' researching. I couldn't help but glance at the window on the wall behind me, remembering Arrow sitting there and tapping at it just this morning. Had it been that short of time since then? It felt so much longer.

I sympathized with Ed, though. I was tired. But, first and foremost, I was hungry. Not eating anything all day had a tendency to do that to a shinx. I padded into the kitchen while the two humans went about on their own business. I found the bowl of raisin berries from that morning still sitting on the floor of smooth, square, flat stones by the large wooden table, and I dug in eagerly. They tasted all that much better.

By the time I was done, the house had grown silent. I stepped quietly back into the front room to head up the stairs, until I noticed a light was on at what I thought was Ed's desk. It wasn't the blonde boy that sat there, though. It was Al.

I walked closer, curious. He was reading a large book that seemed dwarfed in his large hands, deep in concentration. I blinked at the sight of him, and instantly felt a bit sorry. He was staying up and working on something, when all I'd been thinking about was sleeping. I made the decision then; I was going to stay up with him.

In one leap, I managed to climb up on the desk. He looked up at me once, though his expression was unreadable. He reached out a metal hand and gently stroked my head. As he did, I got a glance at the book he'd been reading. It really was big; almost as big as I was, in fact. I couldn't imagine trying to get through something so huge, but he must have had a reason. And his brother had been studying books, too. What were they so intent on reading?

"You don't have to stay up with me," he told me kindly. "I'm going to be up for a while." I just shrugged in reply. I laid down on the side of the desk, out of the way of his book. I tried watching him as he read for a moment, but the exhaustion from the day was catching up with me. Before I even realized it, I was asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A room in an inn wasn't the ideal place to try and complete an alchemical transmutation, but Isorfold didn't have much of a choice. This was what he'd been forced to do, unfortunately. And with the Elric brothers on him now, he couldn't afford not to continue bringing over more of the other world's creatures.

He only had one left. He'd had three, and now he had only one. Four, really, but the smaller cat had been taken from him too quickly to be of use. It was his last that was the most useful, though. It was obedient, and was able to bring him the raw materials he needed.

And now he was about to try something different. He'd need to bring over creatures more quickly, it was obvious. It was time to start experimenting again. He could already get them one at a time, but what about two, or even more? He was about to find out.

The circle was ready. He'd gone over it again and again, searching for minute errors that could jeopardize the transmutation. There was nothing else, nothing else to do but try.

He cast a passing glance at the brown rat and the medium sized dog that lay in the two separate sections of the circle. Really, it was two small circles, one for each animal, with a larger circle encompassing them. It was the only way he could think of to get two things at once. He pressed his hands to the larger circle, and brilliant light spread across the lines.

The animals gave cries of terror as the flashes of alchemical lightning rose around them All the while, Sirene looked on, sitting to one side of the bed, watching her so called master do his work on the wooden floor of the hotel room. Everything was going according to plan, Envy said. She hoped so.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Yeah, I'm back again, and earlier this time! I decided to go ahead and post this chapter simply because I liked it so much, and because you guys left such awesome reviews! Thank you Mae, since I couldn't reply to your review, and I'm glad that you like it! I noticed that there weren't any serious FMA/Pokemon stories as well, and since I couldn't find one to read, I wanted to write one. And I'm glad I've got everyone in character, too. That's one of my weak points, actually, so I'm glad I'm doing well! As for everything else, well, you'll find out. Oh, and someone asked whether this was manga or anime at one point, so I'll remind you all again that it's both. Kind of a mixture of the two, but as we go on, it'll probably lean a bit more towards manga, especially with the Homunculi.

**Disclaimer**: These really are irritating. I don't own Pokemon or FMA.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eight<em>

Gradually, I drifted back into wakefulness. I still felt tired, but I shook my head slowly to clear it of sleep anyway. I couldn't waste any more time sleeping. I blinked as I waited for my eyes to get used to the lighting, then took in my surroundings.

To my surprise, I was in the bedroom. The curtains over the single square window were still drawn, and the sunlight that drifted in was dull. That, combined with snores that sounded a lot like Ed from one of the beds, gave me the idea that it was probably still early. But something didn't seem right, which was most likely what had woken me up. It took me a second, before I realized that Al wasn't there.

Then I remembered where I'd been the night before. Al must have brought me up here, then gone on back to do more reading. I got out of my makeshift bed of blankets quickly and slipped out the door. After navigating my way down the stairs, I was in the front room. Sure enough, there was Al, still reading. Had he been at it all night?

I started when a noise rang through the house, reminding me of an irate Chingling. Al just lifted his head, seeming more exasperated by the noise than surprised. He rose from his seat at the desk, setting the thick book down on the wooden surface. I watched him for curiously, then padded after him into the kitchen. He only went just inside, then turned to pick up something. I recognized it as something I'd seen back in Mustang's office, a device with a long, curved tube part that apparently broke away from a box-shaped part.

"Hello?" He said, putting the tube to the side of his face. As he paused, I thought I heard a faint voice, but it was too quiet for me to understand properly.

"Oh, Colonel Mustang, sir!" Al said quickly, sounding surprised. I blinked, getting more and more puzzled. Was Mustang in that device? But how could he fit? "Brother's still asleep, sir, I'll go wake him up." He set the curved part down on the counter, then turned back my way. He stopped.

"Oh, Shinx! I didn't know you were awake. I'll get you some breakfast here in just a few minutes." He stepped over me, and began walking back the way he'd come. I peeked back outside the door, and watched as he climbed the stairs. Well, it was obvious where he was going. I backed into the kitchen again. That device was more interesting, anyway.

It took a few leaps to get to it, first onto a chair, then up to the table, and finally to the counter. Then it was only a short walk to the wall.

I looked at the bent piece first. It looked like it and the part on the wall were connected by a cord. Out of curiosity, I prodded it with my paw. It scooted a bit, but didn't seem to do much else. I assumed that, to hear the voice, you had to have it up to your ear. I frowned a bit, trying to work out a way to turn it over, when I heard voices and heavy footsteps. I shuffled away from it, trying not to look like I'd been being nosy. I knew who it was before they had even come to the doorway.

"Al, let me down! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Ed's yell pierced through the quiet of the kitchen.

"Alright, Brother." Something thumped to the ground. More heavy footsteps followed, and a bedraggled-looking Ed walked in. It was the first time I'd ever seen him without his coat, or the black jacket beneath that; he wore a black tank top and his leather jeans, but that was it. His long golden hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, rather than his usual braid. He wasn't wearing his gloves, either, and I could see all of his metal arm, from his hand to his shoulder. He ignored me completely, and grabbed for the device.

"What do you want?" He asked irritably when it was pressed to his cheek.

"Is that really how you greet your superior?" I blinked; I could hear it now? I must have been close enough this time. It _was_ Mustang, just as Al had said.

"I honestly don't care," Ed growled. "You woke me up; just tell me what the hell you want."

"If your temper wasn't as short as you were, maybe I would tell you sooner."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THEY HAVE TO GET A STEP LADDER TO LOOK A GRASSHOPPER IN THE EYE?!" I wasn't expecting him to shout quite so angrily. I backed myself up against the wall as his face turned a shade of furious red.

"I guess you don't want to know what I found out about the whereabouts of the large cat chimera?" It was easy to tell that Mustang was enjoying goading Ed. I felt kind of sorry for the blonde boy; he must get that a lot, from the way the two acted. He gritted his teeth, then answered.

"Fine. What do you know?" He growled into the phone.

"Better," Mustang conceded. "It was sighted down town. There were several different reports, but all were around that area. If you want a chance to catch it, you had better hurry."

"Right," Ed said, no longer sounding that angry. He hung up the phone without another word.

"Brother! You just hung up on him!" Al exclaimed.

"And?" His brother replied tiredly. "I have to go get ready. We have a chimera to catch." He walked out of the kitchen, and Al shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if he'll push the Colonel too far..." He muttered to himself, then turned to me. "Now, to get you something to eat!"

* * *

><p>By the time I'd eaten and followed Al out into the front room, Ed was walking down the stairs, this time with his hair in its regular braid, and with both his black jacket and long red coat. Al, who was back to reading his book, stood up quickly.<p>

"No time to waste," Ed said, striding across the room to the door. "Let's go, Al."

"Wait, let me get Shinx." I walked over to him as he unbuckled the front of his armor; I wasn't about to leave them to look for a 'chimera', or rather, Sirene, on their own.

"Al, there's no point-"

"No time to argue, Brother," Al reminded him as he lifted me up and placed me gently in the hollow space in one of his legs. He closed the armor again, and darkness engulfed me. I remained as motionless as possible as the armor started to move; it helped a little with the motion sickness.

"Fine, let's just go." Ed sounded aggravated about something. Of course, I couldn't ask, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was more than just Mustang getting him up early.

They walked in relative silence for a while, with just the sound of footsteps. Finally, Al broke it.

"Brother, what's you plan for when we get downtown?" Ed didn't speak for a minute, then finally replied.

"I think we should split up." Al's reaction was immediate.

"What? Brother, no! We have to go together! This chimera is too-"

"The thing is, Al," Ed cut in, quickly, "we'll cover more ground if we go separately. It isn't that tough; I held it off on my own, remember?"

"But it tried to electrocute you!" Al pressed on. "Brother, it's too dangerous for us to go alone!"

"If we don't, we won't find the chimera," Ed growled. "Just trust me, Al, please. We'll be fine." Al didn't answer for a second, and I knew he was caving to his brother's logic. I clenched my teeth. Ed couldn't take Sirene by himself, I knew it. As I looked back on the fight the day before, I realized that she'd been holding back. I don't know why; she could have killed Ed easily if she wanted to, with a Discharge or another electrical attack. She could decide she'd had enough of holding back now, and then where would that leave Ed, if he was caught with her alone?

"Just be careful," Al said finally, and I shook my head. They shouldn't do this. They shouldn't do this!

"Alright. I'll meet up with you at home, Al. You be careful too." Al stopped, and from the footsteps moving away from us, I knew that Ed was walking away. I could only hope Ed was right, and that he'd be okay.

There was an echoing clang when Al put a metal hand to his chest plate.

"I guess it's just you and me, Shinx..." He said quietly. Even though he couldn't see me, I nodded. It was time to begin working.

It got very boring very quickly, stuck in the bottom of the armor. There wasn't anything to do; I couldn't even see outside to watch the scenery go past. I was left with nothing else but my own thoughts.

Arrow was first to come to my mind. I couldn't help but wonder where he was, whether or not he was safe. Did he end up going back to his so-called 'master'? Or was he really on his own?

"Shinx!" The hissed word echoed through the armor. It was Al. I blinked, and he continued. "Your little bird friend..." I started. Arrow? He was there?

Clanking echoed around me as Al moved, before the front of the armor opened. I jumped out quickly, my feet hitting the dirty floor of the dark alley Al had ducked into. He then scooped me up, cradling me in his arms, and turned to look around the corner of a brick building. I could see him now. There was Arrow, perched on a tall metal rod, the top curved forward with a glass ball at its end.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was something really weird about this place. There weren't any pokémon to talk to, just humans, humans, and more humans. How was she supposed to find anyone?

The yellow electric mouse sat on the edge of the roof of a building. Her large, angular, yellow and black ears twitched irritably as she sat, her back paws stuck out before her while her front ones helped her balance on the edge of a brick building's roof. Around her neck was a strip of jagged black fur, and her thunderbolt-shaped tail was black as well.

The building wasn't that tall, compared to those nearby. The pichu was only sitting a few feet above the heads of the few humans that walked past below. None of them bothered to look up. That made it clear that they were all too dull and imperceptive for her to waste her time with.

Everything here seemed that way, but it was better than the alternative; staying with that scary human and his pet luxray. She shivered at the thought.

That was why she needed to find a trainer. She'd always fancied the idea, though she'd never told anyone. Of course, she wasn't stupid. She would be choosing the trainer, not the other way around. It had to be someone interesting, someone who wouldn't work her half to death, and someone she could get along with. She'd had plenty of time to look for the right person back home, before she'd been captured by the strange blue lightning, and pulled through a doorway by inky black arms. Now she had to find someone who could protect her, a savior. Easier said than done.

Then something caught her eye.

It was a flash of red and yellow in the drab colors of the stone below, a human boy with a red coat and long blonde hair, almost golden in shade, tied back into a braid. That alone was enough to draw her attention, but there was something else about him. The way he held himself, with such confidence, seemed to say he could deal with anything the world threw at him. He had the stance of a trainer. He was the right age, too; not quite an adult, but not a child, either. A jolt of excitement went through her. He could be the one. She'd need to watch him for a time, to be sure, but he was certainly promising.

She didn't hear the paw steps sneaking up behind her until it was too late. She gave a sharp cry as a clawed paw pressed her to the stone of the roof.

"Silly mouse," a voice hissed in her ear. "Did you think you could escape?"

Yes! Her mind screamed. I can escape, and I will! But though she struggled and squirmed, she couldn't get free. When she was so close...

Then she heard it, a piercing yell in a human language.

"Chimera!"

Who knew her name?!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Arrow!" I was surprised and happy to see him. Maybe not as much when I had though he was dead, but I still had a terrible fear that somehow I'd been wrong, that he really had been killed, and the meeting with him had only been my mind torturing me with the idea that he could be alive and well.

However, his solemn expression dampened my own mood. I leaped to the ground, to talk to him from a better angle.

"He's already brought more of them, Tasha," he said quickly, flying down closer to me. Al seemed startled by his movement and took a step back, but Arrow ignored him. "He's let a munchlax loose. We have to get it and stop it, before it causes all kinds of havoc."

"A munchlax?" I questioned. "What did he want a _munchlax_ for? All they do is eat!"

"I don't think he knew what he was getting," Arrow admitted. "He must have gotten lucky with me, Sirene, and the typhlosion. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to round up."

"But what will we do with it?" I asked.

"Can't your friends take it, like they did the typhlosion?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then problem solved." Without waiting for me to answer again, he flew a little higher, waiting for me to follow. I felt my heart clench. Could I really lead Al to this munchlax, just for it to get captured and cut apart? The idea of what they could be doing to that typhlosion, right now, made me want to just run from the fight, and from Arrow and Al. But I couldn't. They were my friends. I knew Al didn't like what was happening, and Arrow wouldn't, either. Maybe we could figure out something else, something besides handing it over to Mustang. I finally gave Al a pleading look, and ran forward a bit, trying to get him to follow. He seemed to understand, though he might have still been confused. It was hard to tell when his face couldn't really show expressions. I turned and followed Arrow as he began to fly off down the street. I found myself really wishing I could just talk to Al. It would make things so much easier.

We hadn't gone far before I saw it. We rounded a corner out of a side alley when I caught sight of it. The street was empty of humans, though whether it was because it was still too early for there to be many, or because they had all fled, I wasn't sure. The munchlax stood on tiptoes with its yellow and dark green face pressed up against the glass of a shop front window, gazing at the array of pastries just past it. Beady black eyes widened, and its triangular ears stood erect on its head. Its mouth was open a crack, revealing two long teeth that jutted up from its lower lip. Its large hands were on the glass as well, and I could just see the side of the yellow circle on its chest. A skirt of fur the color of wet grass hung around stubby legs that ended in large, yellow, claw-tipped paws.

"A chimera!" Al said, his voice echoing in his armor. "But... What's it doing? Trying to get to what's inside the shop?"

"Exactly," I answered, though I knew he wouldn't understand what I said. It didn't matter now. The munchlax turned and looked at us curiously, then began stepping back, like it was going to go lumber off. I tensed, half expecting it to attack. It did, though not at us. After moving back enough, it ran forward, gaining momentum, then grunted as it leaped into the air and hit the glass with a Body Slam. The barrier shattered, and it fell in among the food, making high noises of delight.


	10. Chapter 9

**Authors Note (Phantom SunsSong)**: Okay, the last of my finished chapters. Honestly, I'll tell you guys, I have no idea when I'll have the next part finished. I'm leaving all next week, my laptop is busted, and I've got school starting the Monday after next, and I've got a feeling that my Junior year is going to be a lot more difficult than my Sophomore one, just because of the classes I'm taking (and there's a lot of them...). One thing you guys can count on, though; I _will_ finish this. I already know how I want to end it, and most of what happens between now and then. It won't be uber long, but it should be interesting. Anyway, I'll do what I can to get more written for you guys, and enjoy this last chapter while you can. I really do like this story a lot. I want to write the next part, because it's going to be a lot of fun (for me, anyway xD), but I don't know when.

_Chapter Nine_

"It, it broke the glass!" Al exclaimed, startled. Arrow was already diving down. He swooped past the jagged edges of broken glass, and disappeared into the shop. Meanwhile, the Munchlax was stuffing his face, eating the smashed pastries and occasionally flicking away shards of glass. He was covered in whipped cream, icing, and globs of cake, though he hardly seemed to care.

Just when I was beginning to wonder what exactly Arrow was doing in there, he flew into the munchlax, the force of his Take Down pushing them both out of the shop window. Some of the glass that the Munchlax had missed on his first jump through cut him now, leaving marks of red to add to those on his front that had already been covered by the smashed cakes and pies. Both he and Arrow hit the ground together, though the Munchlax took the brunt of it, with Arrow falling away in a daze. The Munchlax lifted itself to its feet, anger evident in its stance and eyes. It didn't take kindly to anyone who interrupted its meal. With a growl, it made to lunge at Arrow while he was recovering, but I was quicker.

I dashed forward, electricity glittering around my canines. I met him with force, my Thunder Fang penetrating the fur on his shoulder, sending jolts through him. He howled, though my attack only seemed to fuel his anger. He flicked me away with a powerful paw, and I was sent backwards to hit the ground.

"Shinx!" I heard Al cry, and I clambered quickly to my feet. "Wait, stop!" I looked up in time to see him walking towards the munchlax, but the pokemon wasn't in the mood for consoling. He scooped up a particularly gooey bit of pastry off his stomach, and threw it at Al in a Fling attack. His aim was true, and he hit the suit of armor just right. It splattered on the center of his forehead, and knocked the helmet clean off.

"Ahh! My head!" It clattered to the ground. He took a step back, only to trip over it and fall backwards. I did my best to hold back a laugh. It was a comical sight, even though I felt bad for Al, but I had to keep my mind on the fight.

By this time, Arrow had picked himself up and was back in flight. He circled once before turning sharply downward, his left wing beginning to glow brightly. The munchlax held his ground, and tried dodge the Wing Attack at the last minute. He'd mistimed it, though, and was too slow. He was struck and knocked backwards, nearly onto me, had I not sidestepped. Arrow gained altitude once more, and it was my turn for a hit.

I gave it a chance to sit up, and then I glared sharply at it, revealing my fangs and growling in what I hoped was a menacing manner. The munchlax was unperturbed by my Scary Face attack, and just stared back.

"You aren't scary," he informed me bluntly.

"Hey, at least I'm not covered in icing," I growled back, but I knew it was a pathetic comeback. He knew it as well, and he just grinned. My glare intensified.

"You can't beat us," I told him. "Just give up. It'll be easier for everyone."

"Can't I?" he replied. "I don't really care about you or your little friends. I just want some food. Leave me alone." He stood, and I realized that he was a fair bit taller than me. "If you don't, I'll make you." I hissed in reply, and jumped to tackle him. He just stuck out his tongue mockingly. I thought for sure he'd at least try to dodge, but he didn't. Instead, he waited, and when I was close enough, rather than letting me just attack, he _Licked_ me. A shiver went down my spine, and I felt the slimy wet saliva peppered with bits of the pastry he'd been eating leave a trail across my cheek. I froze mid leap and fell, then shook myself. The feeling was disgusting. I tried to wipe it off with an azure paw, but it stuck to my fur. I heard the munchlax laughing at my plight, until he was cut off. I felt a burst of wind, and looked up in time to see Arrow flying up, a smile in his eyes. He'd hit the munchlax with an Aerial Ace before he could react.

"You'll pay for that!" I yowled, climbing to my feet as he did.

"We'll see about that," he replied. I half expected him to jump or attack or do something, but he just lifted his arms and stood there. Then, pointing one finger on each paw upward, he began to move his arms side to side. As he did, they began to glow, and a grin flashed across his face. My eyes widened, and I took several quick steps back.

He was using Metronome.

I tried to tell myself to run, since there was no way of knowing exactly what he'd do, and what kind of range it would have, but I wasn't quick enough. His paws stopped moving suddenly, and when they did, I felt a deep rumble beneath my own. That rumble grew in its intensity, becoming more and more frenzied, until I realized what he was doing. The Metronome had become Earthquake.

I squeaked in terror as he stomped one foot forward, and a crack split the pavement. I was frozen to the spot, my mind screaming at me to move, but my paws wouldn't answer. It grew bigger the closer it came, until I knew it would swallow me under the ground-

And then once again, I was saved by a flash of gray and a clanking of metal against metal. Cold hands gripped me, and suddenly I was rolling away, out of reach of the cavernous split. The world spun, and then stopped abruptly, when Al landed on his feet.

"Shinx! Are you okay?" I looked up into his glowing red eyes, the front of his helmet still smeared with cake.

"Y-yes!" I said a little shakily, and though I knew he didn't understand me, he knew what I meant. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, as polite as always, and then we both looked out to the fight.

Arrow had taken the opportunity to attack again. The Earthquake was useless against him, seeing as he was a flying type. He flapped his wings powerfully, shaping the air and whipping up a Whirlwind. A tiny tornado formed around the munchlax, who bent to try and grip the ground, and managed to work his paws into a crack from his Earthquake. Just in time, too, because the Whirlwind wrenched his feet out from under him. Finally, even that hold gave out, and he was picked up and flung, along with dust and debris, back onto the street.

I wriggled quickly out of Al's arms. This munchlax had made a fool of me, in front of them both. I couldn't be weak, not now and not here. There was too much at stake. I had to pull my own weight without depending on Al and Arrow for help. I'd done that enough already.

I growled lowly to myself as I neared where he had fallen, revenge urging my movements, and just when he had picked himself up and looked my way, I struck.

My fangs dug deep into his shoulder in a powerful Crunch. I heard him whimper in pain, but I didn't relinquish my hold, not until I began, with a terrified jolt, to taste his blood in my mouth. I stepped back, and saw the red holes where my teeth had punctured him.

I was suddenly horrified with myself. What had I done? Was I still just fighting? For a second, I remembered the feral ferocity, and just backed away.

I'd tasted blood. I hadn't killed him, but could I have? Could I have? That thought scared me more than anything. I didn't want to be like Sirene. I didn't want to kill.

The munchlax didn't move. He just laid there. For a second, I had the horrible thought that I _had_ killed him, but he was still breathing.

"Tasha!" Arrow called from above. "Tasha, what's wrong?"

"Shinx?" There was a tone of worry in Al's voice, but I barely heard it. Slowly, I came back to myself. I tried to reassure my mind that I wouldn't have killed him. I couldn't have killed him, but there was that little voice in the back of my head. That little doubt that disagreed.

Al gave me a worried look, but then he quickly took out a piece of white chalk from a pocket on his apron. With quick, steady strokes, he drew a strange circle design around the munchlax, then slapped his hands to it. In a flash of light, the ground began to lift and move, just like when Ed clapped his hands. I could see the bars of a cage beginning to form.

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It didn't take Ed long to get fed up with the search. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the chimera anywhere, and he was beginning to wonder if it all might just be a wild goose chase. Like he hadn't already had enough of them to last him a lifetime. But when he heard a noise from above him, on the roof of one of the buildings, all thoughts of abandoning the search flew out of his mind. It sure sounded like there was something bigger than a pigeon up there.

He took a cursory glance of his surroundings, and was glad to see there weren't any people around. It was still a bit early, and this part of town wasn't very busy to begin with. Then, his gaze went up, in time to see black fur and a long tail with a star at its tip. He hadn't remembered the star from when he'd fought the creature before, but it was too big to be Shinx. Without thinking, he yelled out, "Chimera!" and clapped his hands. He slapped his palms to the brick wall, watching with satisfaction as the chimera stopped and turned to look over the edge. As it did, alchemical sparks shot over the surface of the building, bulging out in a number of tentacles. Several wrapped themselves around the chimera, restraining it. The problem was, the material for the tentacles had to come from somewhere. The roof of the building receded, right out from under another creature, this one small and yellow, with big ears. Ed's eyes widened a bit when it fell, and landed right on his face. Completely startled, he reeled back but managed to keep his balance, all the while looking directly into a pair of large black eyes.

"Pichu!" The little creature said urgently, its voice high and gratingly cute. Finally, Ed's own voice came back to him.

"Wha-what the hell?" The distraction was enough to give the larger chimera enough time to wriggle out of its now-immobile stone restraints. Ed heard the angry growl, and quickly stepped to the side, peeling the little yellow mouse thing off his face as he did. Black paws hit the pavement where he had been only seconds before. The bi-colored lion turned to face him, amber eyes fiercely angry.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath as the little chimera scrabbled to get free of his grasp of its stomach. He'd let the lion get too close, and now he'd lost the element of surprise, too. Top that off with this little mouse creature, and things weren't looking good. He took a step back, weighing his options for a brief moment. Finally, he turned and ran, lifting the mouse to cling to his shoulder as he did to keep his hands free. He heard the chimera give chase with a snarl of disgust, and he grinned.

He didn't have to run far before he came to an alley that would do nicely. He turned quickly, nearly tripping in the process. There was a metal fire escape going up the side of a building, which he took advantage of. As he clapped his hands and pressed them to the slightly rusted iron, he realized that the mouse chimera wasn't on his shoulder anymore; it was on his head, clinging to his hair. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and completed the transmutation. By the time he was done, he had created a weapon. It was a long staff, easily as tall as he was, with a straight blade at the top, held in place by a decorative dragon coiled around both it and the staff. It was a weapon he was familiar with, and one that gave him more of a range in a fight. He whirled and turned it with the blade forward, just in time for the lion chimera's approach.

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Her name. Somehow, this human knew her name. All the while the boy that had caught her and ran from the luxray, it was all she could think about. True, she preferred to be called Mera-it was much less formal-but even just him knowing her full name seemed mind-blowing. It wasn't like Chimera was a popular name, either. Could it be a coincidence? Or could he be meant to be her trainer? It sounded a bit too good to be true, but Mera had always been hopeful, not to mention a bit of a romantic.

And then, somehow, he used lightning to make a weapon to fight the luxray from some metal steps. She'd never seen another pokemon do that before, let alone a human. This boy seemed to have many surprises.

The lion was apparently trying to play it safe. She walked forward carefully, eyeing the boy's weapon, and he turned slightly, keeping it between him and her. Neither gave an inch. Finally, electricity began to build in her fur, and she released it in a weak Spark attack. It didn't seem like it would do more than possibly paralyze the boy, but he pulled the weapon up and took several steps back, buying Mera enough time to counter it. Lightning pulsed in her pink cheeks, and lashed out, forming a Thunder Wave that negated the Luxray's attack.

The boy started, lifting his hand slightly as though to remove her, then stopped. Instead, he growled, "Great, another one of you that generates electricity." Another?! She thought indignantly. She wasn't just another pichu, thank you very much! She'd been working on her electrical attacks for a long time, and had even stopped shocking herself for the most part.

The luxray backed up a bit as well, rethinking her strategy. The human took the initiative, charging forward with the metal stick. He hacked up with it at an angle, the lion just barely getting out of the way in time to miss getting her front leg sliced. It left his right side open, though, and the luxray dove for it. Mera could tell that she wasn't aiming for the boy at all; she was aiming for her. Before the lion could get there, the boy lifted his arm and elbowed the larger Pokemon's chest, then stepped out from under her as she fell to the pavement, wheezing slightly. He set the lance to one side and tried to clap his hands, presumably to summon more of that strange lighting he'd had before, but as soon as the luxray saw what he was doing, she got to her feet and lunged once more. The boy ducked, but not low enough. Mera saw the luxray grin as she aimed a paw for her, to knock the pichu clean off his head. Mera didn't have much time to react. She leaped up, away from them both, and just barely managed to clamber up onto a metal ledge above, on the thing the human had used to make his metal stick.

She wasn't expecting the luxray to follow her, though. The lion dodged around the boy, and started climbing what was left of the stairs. Before the pichu could move, she reached her and bit down hard on her black tail.

"Owowowowowow!" Mera yelped, and sent a pulse of electricity through into the luxray. It didn't affect the large cat at all; it was too weak to do any real damage. Then the boy, his metal stick again in hand, whacked her over the head. Her jaws loosened, and she fell backwards in a daze. The human then tossed his stick aside and climbed up the metal steps as well, grabbing Mera along the way, her tail still in pain.

"Time to cut our losses," he said lowly, and since Mera had no idea what he was talking about, she assumed he was just talking to himself. He climbed the rest of the way up, until they were on the roof. As soon as he hit the top, he started running. And with good reason, Mera noted when she looked over his shoulder. As soon as they reached the end of the roof, the luxray had climbed up and was already following them. She'd recovered fairly quickly. They left the roof behind, though, when the boy leaped forward, and landed nimbly on the next. Mera was clinging to him for dear life now; jumps over long falls had never been something she'd enjoyed.

They ran for several minutes, and though her new trainer was fast, this luxray was faster. She was gaining, and Mera knew it. Something would have to be done quickly, if they wanted to make it out of there alive. Finally, the boy stopped and turned, lifting Mera up to cling to his shoulder yet again. She grabbed a hold of his hair, almost fearfully, and the luxray advanced.

Both the boy and the luxray were breathing heavily now. The boy moved his hands to clap, but the luxray wasn't giving him another chance. Electricity sparked around her mane, and she growled as it shot out in all directions in a Discharge. The boy dodged backwards, but Mera wasn't ready for the sudden movement. Her paws lost their grip on his braid, and she found herself drifting backward through the air. She gave a squeak of surprise as she fell over the edge.

Air rushed past her in her freefall. She was facing up, and she didn't dare look down. Hitting the ground would hurt a lot, provided she even survived impact. It was just as well that she looked up. She saw the blonde boy look over the side in shock, and then clap his hands and press them to the wall. That strange blue lightning lit up the stone again, and it seemed to convulse. She heard it moving below her, but she still didn't look down, because then the luxray leaped over the edge, her claws outstretched to catch the pichu as well.


	11. Chapter 10

**Authors Note (Phantom SunsSong):** I apologize for not getting this up sooner. I've actually had it finished for a few weeks, but I haven't gotten around to actually posting it here. Anyway, here it is, and the next chapter will be up within a few minutes as well. There's only one more that I have prewritten, though it'll be needing some editting before it can come up.

_Chapter Ten_

"Daryn, I don't know about this." The hesitant tone in his sister's voice made him stop in his tracks. He turned to duck back under the low branch he had been walking through when she had spoken, and he winced as a sharp twig snagged a lock of his black hair.

"Now you're having second thoughts?" He asked, sounding exasperated. "El, where were you when we were first considering this whole charade a month ago?" She gave him a fierce blue-eyed glare, her former indecision melting away.

"I'm not questioning whether or not to go through with this," She snapped back. "I'm questioning _how_ we're doing this!" She paused, more to calm herself than anything. She took a quick look around, taking in the foliage and greenery of the wood that surrounded them. It really was a nice day, with the bright sunlight filtering through the trees, and a light breeze keeping away the worst of the heat. Finally, she shook her head slightly and continued.

"We shouldn't just catch a Pokémon. That's taking it away from its home, from the place it's always known." Daryn raised an eyebrow.

"That's what you're worried about?" His sibling's glare returned as he took another step forward, and he lifted his hands apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I just thought that, well…"

"What?" El asked irritably.

"Well, I thought it might be about, you know, the egg. It was a shock to all of us that the egg meant for you was stolen, El. I know you were disappointed when I got Rin—"

"I'm not jealous of you," El cut in, almost self-consciously folding her arms around herself. She really hadn't been thinking about it, and she did not need his apologies!

Elina and Daryn were twins, the only children of two breeders. Their parents had wanted so much to provide them both with exactly the Pokémon they wanted to start their own journeys as trainers with, once they had turned thirteen. That way, they could care for it from its birth.

And then Elina's egg had been stolen. It was almost humorous, in a way, because Elina had wanted a plain buizel, not exactly a rare Pokémon here in Sinnoh, while Daryn had wanted a ralts, which was quite rare. Whoever had stolen the egg could not tell the difference between the two, or it would have been Daryn's egg they had stolen.

It was after that when she had conceived the idea that, once Daryn and his ralts, Rin, were ready, they could catch her a Pokémon as well. Maybe a shinx or a starly, since she was not entirely sure she wanted another buizel. Any pokémon was better than none. Now, though, she was finding that she was having second thoughts.

"Forget I said anything," She continued. "Let's just—" Then, she stopped. Both Elina and Daryn's heads turned as a bush rustled. The boy grinned.

"Here we go, El. A Pokémon. And if it makes you feel better, we'll ask it first." Elina scowled, but did not reply, because at that point two fuzzy white ears poked out of the bush. After just a second, she realized something.

"Uh, Daryn? Are there any Pokémon around here with white fur?" Her brother frowned.

"Now that you mention it, I don't think there... are..." As his words trailed off, the creature stood straighter, revealing more of itself.

A round head sat atop broad, powerful shoulders, all covered in the same white fur as the pointed ears. Its eyes, though, were blood red, and across its left was a jagged crimson scar-like marking. Another was slashed across its chest. On the ends of its powerful forelimbs were long, deadly-looking ruby claws. Both teenagers immediately paled.

"Za-Zangoose," Daryn just managed to gasp out before the creature moved. They scarcely saw it leap when it was suddenly upon Daryn, its claws slicing down at his face. Shocked, he lost his balance, a movement that saved his life. The zangoose's Slash attack, its arm a blur, cleanly sliced the front of his bangs, but otherwise only pulled a chunk out of the tree he had been standing behind.

Daryn winced as branches from the bush he had landed on jabbed into his back, but as the zangoose towered over him, he quickly realized they were the least of his problems. A jolt of pure terror gripped his heart at the look in its eyes. It was not just angry because they had intruded on its territory, which would have been strange enough to begin with, here in Sinnoh. What he had seen there was, quite simply, murderous rage.

Adrenaline shot through his veins, faster than seemed possible, and in a movement of nothing but instinct, his leg shot out. His foot caught the zangoose square in the stomach, knocking the air out of it in a great _whoosh_. It staggered back, startled, and gave Daryn a chance to climb to his feet. He turned to see that Elina was still there. At first, he was grateful, and then he realized that once the zangoose was finished with him, it would not hesitate to go after her.

"El! Run!" He yelled desperately. The girl, who had been paralyzed by shock during the attack on her brother, finally came to her senses. She nearly turned to run, but her fear for her brother outweighed her fear for herself. She was rooted to the spot.

"Daryn!" She shouted, panicked.

"Run!" He screamed again. "I still have Rin! You don't have any—" His words were cut off by a hoarse cry of pain as the zangoose struck again. After recovering, it attacked from behind, knocking him to the ground. Dazed, he hardly registered the fact that the zangoose had yet to slash his neck and simply be done with the fight. The truth was, the zangoose was rendered immobile. The reason was evident very quickly. Blue electricity was crackling up its legs, wrapping around it like some kind of snake made of nothing by lightning. A second later, he realized it was engulfing him as well, and after that, all he saw was white.

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A blast of wind ruffled my blue and black fur, and I half closed my amber eyes against it, trying to get a look at Arrow, the bird alighting beside me. Razor talons touched the ground as the staravia landed, folding his large brown wings to his body. I felt his black gaze on me.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, concern in his voice. "At the end of the fight, you jumped away like you'd been struck by lightning." I averted my gaze from his. The battle was over—I had heard Al finish the cage he had been making around the munchlax. But I couldn't forget the blood.

"… I bit him," I said finally. "It drew blood. I could have _killed_ him!"

"What are you talking about, Tasha?" I looked back up at him, surprised by his disbelieving tone. "You? Kill someone? Tasha, it was a battle. By nature, Pokémon have disagreements and fight one another. You weren't killing anyone." I blinked, trying to accept his words. He was staring straight at me, his gaze hard.

"But—"

"Now is not the time to be questioning yourself," He cut me off. "You're you—that's not going to change. The Tasha I know gets mad, but she doesn't kill others." I couldn't take his stare any longer. I looked down, trying to hide the fact that I didn't completely believe him. In spite of what I felt, Sirene was my mother. Could I have inherited a killing intent from her, without my notice? Or, since I was a shinx, could it simply be inbred in my species?

Finally, I just shook my head. He was correct about one thing. Now wasn't the time to worry about it. Sirene was our main concern.

"You're right," I replied. "We have to find Sirene." From behind us came the now-familiar sound of metal against metal. Looking over my shoulder, I saw it was Al, standing upright. In one hand was a cage, with the munchlax inside.

"Shinx," He said, looking worried. I realized that, as quickly as I had jumped away from the munchlax, he must have thought that I was hurt. I stood and turned to face him, giving him a full chance to see that I was physically fine.

"Good, you're alright," he said, more to himself than anyone. "I was afraid-anyway, we need to find Brother." He sighed. "Knowing him, I'm sure he's already in trouble of some kind, especially if there are new chimeras around." He lifted the cage in his hand slightly in emphasis. I nodded, actually smiling at Al's jab at his brother. Al cast a questioning glance at Arrow, and I followed his gaze to look at the staravia as well.

"Are you-" The avian Pokémon began, but I cut him off.

"I'm fine," I pressed. "Let's go." He shrugged.

"Alright. I'll be circling, watching for any more Pokémon." Without another word, he took off. I watched him for just a second before I turned away. I walked to Al, who was also followed the bird's progress with his gaze, until he glanced down and saw I was waiting. After a quick cursory glance to make sure no one was around, he opened his metal chest.

Even after all the times I'd been inside him, it was still a bit disconcerting when he revealed that there really was nothing inside all that armor. Carefully, he put the cage inside one leg and picked me up, setting me gently in the other. In a few seconds, Al had replaced his chest, cutting off all light but a few pinpricks here and there. I sighed as he began walking. It had only been a few days, and yet I was getting more and more used to traveling this way.

Then a metallic scent hit my nose. I recognized it at once. It was the same hauntingly familiar smell from the other times I'd been in Al's armor. I felt my heart sinking; I finally understood what it really, truly, was. It was blood. I squeezed my eyes shut, the thoughts from earlier flooding back. Remembering what I had last told Arrow, I had to ask myself, was I really okay?

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Mera gave a slight cry of pain as she hit the palm of the stone hand. It was not serious, considering she only fell a few feet, but falling from any distance onto solid stone is going to hurt. Even with her aching back, she gave a sigh of relief—though perhaps too soon. Her head shot up as she heard claws scraping against stone. Black paws scrabbled against the side of the hand, and Mera realized what had happened. The luxray had jumped after her, missed the hand the boy had made, and was trying to climb up. Wincing but ignoring her pain in her urgency, she climbed to her feet. She scrabbled forward, hesitant due to her fear of falling the rest of the distance to the ground, and tried to dislodge the luxray's paws as best she could with her own, since her weak electric attacks would have no effect against such a large electric type. With a yowl of fear and indignation, the luxray finally lost her grip and plummeted to the pavement below.

Then the hand began to rise up.

Panic gripped Mera, and she clung to the stone for dear life. After a gradual ascent, though, she stopped and slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw were a pair of bright amber eyes and a lightly tanned face, framed by long blond bangs. It was the boy, the one who had saved her numerous times in just the short time since they had met. The boy who knew her name.

He was giving her a strange look, with a single golden eyebrow raised and his lips quirked in a slight smirk.

"You're pretty big for a rodent," He stated simply, as though finally getting a good look at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"You're pretty small for a human," She growled back. One of his eyes twitched.

"Why do I get the feeling that was a comment about my height?" He asked, more to himself than anyone. However, before either could continue speaking, they heard a pained cry from below.

The both looked up in time to see the luxray had picked herself up and was trying to limp away, though she was moving surprisingly fast as she favored one back leg. Presumably, the cry had been from when she tried to walk on the back leg, though as she loped away, she seemed to be favoring it less and less.

"It's injured," The boy said quietly to himself. Then, without warning, he grabbed hold of Mera by the scruff of her neck. She squeaked in surprise as she was hauled up onto his shoulder again, where she hung desperately to his braided hair. He hopped easily onto the hand he had made, and, this time much faster than her climb, it dropped. Wind whipped past them both, tugging at Mera's ears and the boy's hair and loose red coat. Before it even came to a complete stop, he jumped off and landed nimbly. He caught his balance quickly before launching into a full-out dash. Air whizzed past them both as the boy whirled around the corner that the luxray had disappeared behind—and was stopped rather abruptly by what looked like a wall of metal. After a jolt accompanied by a resounding _clang_, the boy fell back and hit the ground, dislodging Mera in the process.

"Ed!" The wall of steel exclaimed. Mera looked up… and continued looking up. For a second, she was sure it was a Pokémon, an aggron to be exact, until she realized it has spoken in human speech. Had it been a name? Her trainer's name? Intrigued, she listened.

"Brother, are you alright? Why were you in such a hurry? And what is that—" As it spoke, Ed, her trainer, gathered himself up rather quickly, grabbing Mera in the process.

"No time, Al! I saw the chimera!" Mera started at that comment. What was he talking about? _She _was Chimera! It was her name! But if he had not been saying her name, then what _had _he been talking about?


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N (Phantom Sunsong):** Um, not much to say here. And please, don't kill me, 'kay? It had to be done to advance the plot!

_Chapter Eleven_

I couldn't help but squeak in surprise as something hit Al's armor with a _clang_ that echoed above my head. I heard something fall, and another cry of astonishment from outside. It almost sounded like another Pokémon.

"Ed!" Al exclaimed. "Brother, are you alright? Why were you in such a hurry? And what is that—"

"No time, Al! I saw the chimera!" I gave a sigh of relief when I heard Ed's voice. Then the implications of what he said hit home. He'd seen Sirene?

"Who do you think I _am_?!" I nearly froze. This time, I was sure it was another Pokémon. They weren't speaking the human language, which was for sure. I didn't recognize the voice at all, but it was very high and young. I nearly growled in irritation. Were there were even more Pokémon coming here?

"Don't get yourself worked up over her." I turned quickly, to see the munchlax lounging in his cage, seeming to have recovered some. Not enough to want to break out, apparently. Either that, or he didn't really care.

"She's just a kid," He elaborated. "A little pichu."

"And how do you know?" I shot back, not trusting the other Pokémon as far as I could throw him.

"That crackpot trainer and his luxray caught us together, or whatever you'd call what he did with weird blue lightning." He shrugged. "She's not dangerous or anything."

"If you're with Isorfold, what were you doing here?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm not _with_ him," The Munchlax scoffed. "More like he assumed he could control me. I'm not much for rules and people telling me what to do—that's why I lived alone back home, ya know? Anyway, that pichu, Mera, she's a sharp one. She figured out how to get out. She realized we could pull up the latches on the doors, since it was obviously made to hold creatures without fingers." He wiggled his own in emphasis. "Anyway, we went our separate ways after that. She said she was out to find a good trainer, I was just looking for some food."

"And you jump through a window to get it?" I asked sarcastically. The munchlax shrugged apologetically.

"I can't help it; I have a weakness for sweets. I didn't mean anything by it, really. And the Lick—"

"We were fighting," I replied quietly, realizing less than a second after I'd said it that I was echoing Arrow. "I bit you pretty good, too." I had to admit to myself, the munchlax wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. He wasn't some kind of fighting machine, like the typhlosion, or working for Isorfold… I cringed, immediately regretting thinking about the typhlosion.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I looked back at the munchlax, and then shook my head.

"… Nothing," I muttered. He didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the matter. I was glad that he wasn't prying and returned my attention to the conversation outside Al's armor.

"The black and blue chimera was chasing this little yellow one?" Al asked, surprised. There was a pause, during which time I assumed Ed nodded.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird." He sighed. "But you're right. It's probably long gone by now. The real question is, what should we do with this one?"

"Um, Brother… I have one too," Al added.

"Two? Jeez… I guess we can't say our chase was unproductive." There was another pause, and I began to get impatient. If only I could see what was going on!

"Hey, where are we?" The munchlax asked suddenly. I was about to answer when Ed spoke again.

"I just don't really want to go back to Mustang's office without the right chimera, especially with the tip-off. He'll never let me live it down." I felt like my heart stopped. They couldn't take them there! I looked hesitantly over at the munchlax. He was watching me uneasily.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Al replied quietly.

"What? But, Al—"

"I don't want to give them any more chimeras, Brother," the suit of armor continued with a little more force. "Who knows what they are doing to the other one? I don't want to condemn them just because we don't have anything better to do with them."

There was a really long pause after that. Finally, I heard Ed say, "Alright. We won't, Al. We'll just say we didn't get here in time." I let out a sigh of relief, and I wasn't the only one. Al did as well.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Yeah, yeah." The armor began to move again, and I assumed we were going back to their home.

"What is going on?" I didn't look at the munchlax, though I felt his gaze on me. He sounded slightly unnerved by the sudden movement.

"You asked before where we were," I said, avoiding his question. "You know that metal human from before? We're inside him." There was silence for a few moments, all but the creaking of the armor.

"So, what, he ate us?" I almost laughed, but he sounded so serious that I couldn't.

"Not exactly. He can open his chest." I paused for a moment, contemplating how to best pose explain the situation without sounding crazy. "The truth is, hard as this will be to believe, we're in another world. One that doesn't have Pokémon in it." For a moment, he just looked at me. I thought for sure he was going to laugh, and I almost wondered if I would as well, simply out of the absurdity of it, but he didn't. He sighed instead, scratching his head with a dull claw.

"To be honest, I was beginning to wonder. When we broke out, and I was exploring, I had noticed the complete lack of Pokémon. I tried not to think about it, but that idea was in the back of mind, after the lightning." He shook his head. "Why?"

"He wants to use us," I answered, guessing his unspoken question. "Isorfold, I mean. The human with… the luxray." I hesitated over the last part, nearly saying 'Sirene' instead. "He wants to use our powers to take over this world—"

"No, that's not what I mean." I looked up, puzzled, as he continued. "Why us? What significance do we have that we would end up in this place?" I blinked. It wasn't something I had considered much. I don't really believe in fate, and I don't know many Pokémon that do. This munchlax, though, apparently did. I couldn't say which of us was right, the more I thought about it. What was the likeliness that my mother would end up here with me, the one Pokémon I thought I had escaped? Could it be anything _but_ fate?

"Anyway," the munchlax continued, trying to banish the dark mood, "I never introduced myself properly. I'm Boro." He waited expectantly, and it took me a minute to realize he was waiting for me to give him my name.

"Tasha," I replied with a nod.

"Right then. Tasha, I formally apologize for my behavior before."

"Me too," I conceded. "I attacked you, after all. The fault is mine."

"Let's just let bygones be bygones," He said with a wry grin. "It seems we may be working on the same team now, so to speak. What, exactly, is out goal?"

"To find a way back," I said bluntly. "And stop Isorfold." _And my mother_, I added silently. Boro shrugged.

"Sounds good to me. Whatever it takes to go home. I'm not entirely sure yet that I like this place. Too quiet, you know?" I smiled. Yes, I did know.

"Some of the humans aren't too bad," I told him. "But yes. Sometimes I really miss not having a two-sided conversation, like we are." He nodded, but seemed slightly puzzled.

"How long have you been here?" He asked. I paused for a moment, wondering that myself. How many days had it been?

"Um, I think I'm on my third day," I said, not entirely sure of myself. Doing the math in my head, I nodded more decisively. "Yeah. Three days." I grinned sheepishly. "It feels like forever, though." It was at that moment that the front of the armor opened. Ed looked in on us, blinking slightly at the sight of Boro. The munchlax just stared back. Then, from out of his hair, an oval-shaped head with large, diamond ears popped into sight. The pichu wasn't quite as young as I thought she had been upon first hearing her voice, but she was no adult. I knew I was older than she was, most likely. Then there was the way she was practically clinging to Ed. There was something about it that seemed funny. It was almost like she was practically tame.

Then it hit me. Boro had said she was looking for a trainer, and she'd apparently found one. It just happened to be Ed. I quickly ducked my head down under my paws to stifle my laughter. I didn't see her eyes narrow dangerously.

"What are you laughing at, cat?" The tone almost made the words sound dangerous, but combined with that high-pitched, squeaky voice, it was comical. I could no longer hold back the giggles, and they erupted, turning quickly into full-blown laughter. I heard her 'hmph' imperiously, but that only further fueled my mirth. Boro and Ed both sweat dropped.

"Al, since when can cats laugh?" Ed asked.

"Well, Shinx is no ordinary cat," Al replied, though he even seemed a little perplexed. When I finally stopped, Ed tried to get Mera to let go of him and get into Al's armor, but she immediately pulled a fuss.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" She asked incredulously as he tried to pull her off his head. "No, I don't want to get in here! I want to be with yooooou!" After a lot of pulling and yelling, during which time not only I but also Boro and Al started chuckling, and Ed was getting very irritated, he finally gave up.

"Fine! Stay there!" He let her go and turned abruptly, ignoring the fact that his hair was nearly out of its usual braid. Al sighed at his brother and carefully closed the front of his armor.

"I think Mera found her trainer," I said, then started giggling again.

"What's so funny about it?" Boro asked curiously.

"Just that she picked Ed," I told him, and left it at that. Just as I was feeling Al begin to walk again, though, I heard Ed hiss something.

"Al! Look!" Then, Al gasped, and I wanted to growl. What the heck had they seen? And in a flurry of movement, we were suddenly moving. Fast.

And I thought just walking was horrible. This was the first time I'd ever been inside Al when he was running, and it wasn't an experience I would like to repeat. I was suddenly moving back and forth, first my head and then my hind legs hitting metal. We stopped just a moment after we started, but that was only to get Boro out of Al; apparently, the cage was making too much noise. During that time, I managed to climb up and press my front and back claws into cracks in the armor. I was still shaken, but not nearly as bad as I was down in his foot. Still, it was torture clinging there, feeling like my entire body would never stop moving. When it finally did, I fell to a heap in the bottom of Al's leg, exhausted. I just barely registered what Ed and Al were saying.

"This was where it went, Brother."

"Yeah." Ed's voice had an eager, almost violent edge to it. "Finally. Time to get this guy, Al. We have him." As tired as I was from the running, it took me a moment to gather what he meant. Then it all made sense. They'd seen Sirene, obviously. Why hadn't I guessed that before? And she had led us directly to her master's lair. Feeling beaten and bruised nonetheless from our hasty departure, I settled into my usual spot, trying to rest while I could. I had a feeling that something was about to happen, something important, and I needed to be in the best shape I possibly could.

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Exhilaration gripped Ed in anticipation of what lay ahead, just before them. They could finally end this little detour away from their real purpose: to find a Philosopher's Stone and, ultimately, a way to get their bodies back. That meant finding and apprehending Isorfold, and that big-shinx chimera had led them right to him. It was perfect. They could take him while his only remaining chimera was reeling from its earlier fight with him.

But when Ed went to make his way inside, he was stopped by his brother's large, metal arm. Al began walking towards the door of the building the chimera had disappeared into instead.

"Al, what are you doing?" Ed asked, running to catch up.

The building itself looked like it had been abandoned for a while, though they were deep into the slums of East City. Some of the surrounding buildings had been damaged by past terrorist bombings, the cavernous holes in their dilapidated walls simply neglected when the local military decided it was too much trouble to fix them. Others, like this one, had been left in relatively good condition, abandoned simply when fear had forced the people away from these areas. It looked like a place that someone would have an illegal alchemical lab.

"Al, what's your problem?" Ed continued. "Why did you stop me?"

"We can't afford to get careless," Al said, turning towards him. "You're always so sure of yourself, but look at the way the chimera just led us here. Who's to say it wasn't under orders, and there is a trap waiting for us?"

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm—" Ed began, but he was swiftly cut off by Al.

"No, Brother, _I_ will," The suit of armor told him forcefully. "If there is some kind of trap, like if he has a gun, or if he has some bigger, fiercer chimera waiting, it won't hurt me as badly as it could you."

"Al, I'll be—" Ed tried to say, but Al wasn't letting him speak.

"No, Brother. I'm not letting you walk into these things blindly anymore! We're all we have!" Then Al looked down, and in a quieter tone, said, "I don't want to lose you." Ed watched his brother for a moment, the yellow chimera still clinging to him, and finally sighed and scratched his head irritably. Much as he hated to admit it, Al was probably right in that respect. The blue and black feline had had plenty of time to get here and back while he and Al had been swapping stories of the morning, and could be leading them on simply to trap them. It was probably the best course of action, though that didn't mean he liked it. Not one bit.

"Alright, Al," He said, yielding. "You… you're right. We need to think about this. Underestimating Isorfold is what led to us letting him get away the first time. We can't make that same mistake again."

"Right," Al agreed, sounding relieved that his brother had relented. "Let's go, then." When Ed nodded, he turned and took the last few steps to the door, with Ed right behind him. Almost as an afterthought, he laid the cage with the green and cream chimera he had caught that morning down beside the stars that led up to the entrance, where it could be easily retrieved when they left. Then he opened the door and walked inside. Ed followed, only to knock into Al's back and stagger backward.

"Al, what—"

"Brother! Don't come any closer!" Ed felt his heart rise to his throat at the fearful tone in his brother's voice.

"Al, what's wrong?!" By the time he was done asking, though, Ed knew exactly what was wrong. He had seen the complex transmutation circle under Al's feet begin to light up. He could do nothing but shield his eyes with an arm as blue electricity engulfed the armor that was his brother.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N (Phantom SunsSong)**: And another capture bites the dust. Er, ends. This is all I have written as of now, sorry, and I'm afraid that most of you won't be very satisfied with it, either.

Another note for you guys, it will be a while before I get the next part done for two reasons. The first is that it'll be long (it may very well rival the first five chapters in length), and the second is because basketball starts next week, along with the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition, in which I am competing this year. For those who don't know, I have to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Add on basketball and it's going to be difficult, even without working on Escape, so I'll be leaving it until the end of November. I'm hoping to get the next part done in time for the URPG Winter Competition (I believe it ends around the end of January, so I'll be aiming to finish it by then). Wow, I have a lot of writing ahead of me. I'm really glad I have a new laptop to do it all on. –sigh- Anyway, hopefully this will tide you guys off for a while, though I'm really not counting on it.

_Chapter Twelve_

They were there together. Daryn had no idea how it had happened, but it had. They were in a place that could not exist and yet certainly did, as certainly as he was sure of his own existence, and the zangoose was there with him.

It—no, she, it was a female—did not really want to kill him anymore. She was too confused by their sudden change in scenery, as confused as he was. All that was around them was blank, empty white. Nothing, no grass, no sky, no _color _for miles. The complete lack of it made the zangoose's coat, which had seemed almost snowy white in the woods, nearly brown in comparison.

Most importantly, though, they were no longer enemies. They were not friends or comrades, but something closer than acquaintances, stuck together in this world of nothing.

Except there was not really nothing there. What about that strange door behind him? He whirled, finally understanding what his subconscious had been trying to say. The zangoose turned as well, a little more warily.

Sure enough, there was a door, or, rather, a _gate_. A huge pair of doors, seeming immensely large and yet still dwarfed by the nothing that surrounded them. They were made of some unknown material that was not quite stone or metal and yet not quite wood. Engraved on it was a tree, a very strange tree. At first his mind did not grasp exactly why it was strange, and then it hit him. It was upside down. The palm-like leaves stretched out below it, and the roots were spread above. In what almost looked like the speech bubbles seen in comic books were words in what Daryn guessed might be Latin or another, equally dead, language. He wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it but could not quite make himself do so. A cool, accepting calm was washing over him, a mindset that seemed to say, 'Okay, there's a weird door, and I'm in a place I've never seen before, but I have to keep calm.' Without really knowing how, he knew the feeling was radiating from the zangoose. How was that?

The thought did not have time to linger in his mind because that was when the doors opened. Inside was roiling, living shadow, something that instantly reminded of that time when Daryn was younger and he had been afraid of something being under his bed. He had the sudden feeling that this darkness, this shadow, might have been what he was so afraid of. That same fear, only this time seeming much more rational, washed over him like a cold wave of sea water.

This time the calm broke. He screamed, but it was cut short when arms reached out of the door, wrapping themselves around him. The giggling of small children, yet not nearly so innocent, rang in his ears, and he thought he saw an eye open in the blackness. It gave him one fleeting look, impartial to his terror, before he was pulled inside, the struggling, clawing, fiercely fighting but still losing zangoose not far behind.

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Ed felt like he'd been hit in the gut. Heck, he felt like someone had slowly and painfully carved out his abdominal cavity with a fork. Al, his brother, his only family, had been used in some kind of demented transmutation, and he had sat there and _watched._

"You _BASTARD!_" The scream ripped out of his throat before he even knew what he was doing. "BRING HIM _BACK, _DAMMIT, BRING HIM _BACK_!" He ran blindly forward as the alchemic light was dissipating, getting his hands around Isorfold's throat the only thought on his mind, when he tripped over something. He hit the hardwood floor with force, enough to knock the wind out of him. The yellow chimera was flung off him, falling to the ground not far away.

"Well, damn." That voice was very familiar. Ed had only heard it once, and it had been yelling at him to get out at the time, but he remembered it nonetheless. He gasped in air, trying to get his limbs under him to push himself upright as the footsteps that echoed with that voice drew closer. "I was hoping to catch you in that transmutation, Fullmetal Alchemist, but I suppose that sidekick of yours will do. I wonder what I'll get for a strapping lad like him."

"Damn you, Isorfold!" Ed hissed as he got his legs under him and pushed upwards. The larger man let out a small cry of pain when the boy's fist, his metal one, collided with his stomach. Ed took great pleasure in the look of agony that crossed the older man's features. He let him fall to the ground when his legs could hold him up any more, his jacket billowing around his rather scrawny form.

"Don't talk about my brother like he's another one of your damn experiments," Ed said, his voice dangerously sharp. "Bring him _back_."

"Ah-I—" Isorfold stuttered, trying to catch his breath again and failing. "I _can't_, you fool. I-if you wouldn't let your emotions cloud your reason, you-you'd know that, too." He managed to gasp finally. Ed didn't look at him. He didn't want to give that monster that called himself an alchemist the satisfaction of knowing he knew he was right.

Something tugged at his coat. Numbly, he looked down. Gazing up at him with very large eyes was the yellow mouse chimera. Somehow, it looked at him with an ample mixture of worry and sadness. At any other time, Ed might have been moved by it, or at least surprised, but right then, he felt nothing. His brother was gone. The mad scientist himself had said so. Everything they had worked for over the years was wasted. And everything, _everything,_ had been taken from him.

He would have stood there for much longer if he hadn't been jolted out of his reverie by a howl of rage. His muscles tightened. Behind that howl was blind fury, pure rage, and little to no reason. He whirled, feeling the mouse chimera release his coat as he did. There, standing where Al had been taking moments ago, was a white and red monster. It was nearly as tall as he was, covered in ivory fur, all but a jagged gash of red across its chest. At first, Ed wondered if it was a wound that had so angered the creature, but no, the red was not a wound, merely a marking. Then, his eyes met that of the creature. The fury he saw there was almost comforting. When it started running for him, he welcomed it, and pulled off his red coat. Without meaning to, he tossed it on top of the mouse chimera. He didn't notice her struggles underneath it, or that she poked her head out from under it just as he blocked the creature's first blow with his right arm, blood red claws against silvery metal.

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Mera was completely fine with hiding under Ed's coat. Though it was surprisingly smelly, she had no inclination to join her trainer. He was fighting a z_angoose_, after all, and she had the feeling that this was something he wanted to do alone, anyway. Still, she was very surprised. She had not realized that Ed's right arm was made of metal. Though, considering the fact that his brother was made entirely of metal, she supposed it could be possible. Weird, but possible.

She peeked out, getting a quick glance at the room around her. It was surprisingly big, bigger than any room she'd seen before, and may have, at one time, been very grand. Now, though, the floor, made of stone tiles in a variety of colors, arranged to look artful, was dirty and scuffed, with tiles missing here and there. The once-elegant wallpaper was peeling, badly in some placed, and a desk that sat not far from a flight of stairs that led up into the rest of the building was missing a large corner from it. Most of it seemed to have a thick layer of dust. She was a couple yards away from the transmutation circle the zangoose had stepped off of and Al had disappeared into, and only that far because of Ed's reckless run at Isorfold. Taking her eyes from her surroundings, she focused on the fight instead.

The zangoose was undeterred by Ed's block. She leaped back, and Ed simply watched her, almost coldly. There was a deep anger bubbling under the zangoose's exterior, Mera could tell, but Ed was a different story. He seemed entirely fine to just wait, something he had never been, even in the short time she had been with him. His calm, calculating patience was almost scary.

The zangoose switched abruptly to all fours. She ran at Ed full out, larger front claws clattering against the wooden floor. Ed didn't move. He only watched, until the last possible second. Mera almost looked away, sure that the zangoose would hit him head on. She was glad she continued to watch.

Ed jumped forward, angling himself like he was doing a somersault. Instead, he planted both hands on the zangoose's back, his weight and force pushing her to the floor. His momentum sent him on forward, up and onto one foot. As he landed, he spun, but the movement made him totter slightly. It was enough to give the zangoose an opening. She was back to her feet in less than a second and raced forward, her claws scything ahead of her in a rapid X-Scissor. Ed only barely missed being disemboweled by letting gravity take over and falling to the ground. The Zangoose stabbed downward, continuing the attack, but Ed was rolling as soon as he hit the ground, and missed two more slashes. Once he was out of danger of being stabbed, he slapped his flesh hand to the ground and rolled up onto his feet.

The zangoose held her ground, but did not attack. She was watching Ed curiously. Obviously, she was feeling the way Mera felt. This human was much better at fighting than any either had encountered, not that Mera had met many. Still, she had never heard of a human that could hold his own with a zangoose.

Ed used the lull in the fight to his advantage. He clapped his hands, then drew the flesh one along his metal forearm. Mera was not surprised when blue electricity coaxed a blade out of it, protruding over his mechanical hand, but the zangoose was obviously taken aback. She took a quick step back in shock. Ed took advantage of it. He ran forward, swinging the blade out as he approached her. She leaped back, just out of the way, but Ed kept coming. A sort of dance began, almost like some kind of sword fight, but closer, with both fighters possessing shorter weapons. Both lashed out at the other whenever an opening was revealed, stabbing or slashing, but were foiled by either a block or a step backward. The zangoose had an obvious advantage, with her two clawed paws, and it was taking a toll on Ed. He took first a cut to his forehead, having backed away from the attack, and then another on his left shoulder. He was steadily losing ground, and it seemed like he would lose the fight as well. Finally, he backed into the wall. The zangoose gave a cry of triumph and pulled back for a final blow.

Ed's eyes widened slightly when her claw began to glow. Mera had just recognized the Crush Claw attack when the zangoose tried to strike, and this time, Mera did hide in the coat. She was sure it would be all that would remain of her trainer. Then there was a _crunch_, and the zangoose cried out in pain.

Mera looked up quickly, surprised. The zangoose staggered back, a second red mark across her stomach. It did not seem deep, or even life threatening, but it was still bleeding. Ed, on the other hand, was sitting of the floor. Above his head was a hole in the wall, where the Crush Claw had gone through. Ed, however, wasn't unscathed. Two new red gashes crossed his left cheek. The zangoose must have retaliated after he cut her belly, but the attack was wild and luckily did not take off his head.

The zangoose had backed well away from Ed, giving him plenty of time to slowly climb to his feet. Both were still for several moments, panting and doing their best to ignore their wounds. Blood was dripping from the gash over Ed's right eye, and the zangoose clutched one paw briefly to her own cut, trying to staunch the bleeding as much as possible. Then, there was a sound from behind the zangoose. Both she and Ed looked, and Mera followed their gaze.

The zangoose had not been the only one in the circle that Ed's brother had disappeared in. There was a very confused-looking human boy sitting there as well, his short black hair messy and his blue eyes wide. His clothes, drastically different from Ed's with his rather plain navy shirt and jeans with a pack on his back, were stuck with twigs and leaves.

Before Ed could react, the zangoose was running at the boy. It was apparent she wanted to kill _something_. Since she could not beat Ed, she would settle for this other boy. He struggled to his feet, and Ed ran to try and get ahead of the zangoose, but she was far too fast, now that she was switching into a full-blown Quick Attack. She was upon him in seconds, and Mera could just tell that this boy had to not only be a new trainer, but not very sure of himself. He was going to be slaughtered. The zangoose's claws glowed as they raced towards him, deadly and ready to rip flesh.

But there was no flesh there. The zangoose had put so much power into that Slash attack that she stumbled forward when she met no resistance. Mera looked, astounded, at the boy. He was equally surprised that he had managed to step out of the way. The zangoose growled, and lashed out again. The boy stepped out of the way almost too easily. Getting angry again, the zangoose began a Fury Cutter, sweeping back and forth, but the boy stepped out of the way of them all. She was getting tired quickly, from the wound and from fighting Ed, Mera could tell, but she wasn't going to stop. And the boy couldn't fight back—

But Ed could. The zangoose had forgotten about him, and wasn't ready for the hard right hook that met the side of her face. She flew to the side, knocked clean off her feet by the force of Ed's metal fist.

The boy simply stared at the place where the zangoose had been a moment before. He seemed completely and totally stunned. Ed simply flexed his metal hand, making certain it was still working correctly after the beating it had taken during the fight. That brought the boy's attention to it, and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth, as if to ask a question, but not before the zangoose stirred. The boy scrambled backwards away from her in quick, jerky movements. Ed took more purposeful steps back, trying to assess the situation, and the boy all but ran to his side.

"Who are you?" Ed hissed quietly as the zangoose climbed slowly and stiffly to her feet.

"Daryn," The boy replied shakily. "Where—" He began, but Ed cut him off.

"I'm guessing you're from the _other_ world, then?"

"Wh-what?" Daryn stammered in response. "I don't know—"

"The place where there are plenty of those things," Ed pressed on. He nodded to the zangoose.

"You mean the zangoose?" Daryn questioned, surprised. "You don't know what a zangoose is?" Then, his eyes widened slightly, like something was dawning on him to the young pichu's eyes. Hesitantly, as though afraid of the answer, he asked, "What region are we in?"

"I don't know what you mean by 'region'," Ed answered, eyes still on the zangoose, "but you're in the country of Amestris."

"And I suppose you wouldn't know where that would be in relation to Sinnoh?" Daryn asked, his growing dread evident.

"No clue," Ed replied. "Never heard of it." Unfortunately for them, that was when the zangoose decided to attack. She readied herself, stomach wound having scabbed over enough to stem the bleeding, and charged forward. Ed tried to push Daryn out of the way, but the other boy's hand was already drawing something off his belt. Ed was just able to see a red and white sphere sail past him, inches from his face. It hit the floor, bounced once, then, at the height of its arc, split neatly into two halves. Pure white light spilled out of it, like a luminescent liquid, but turned solid as it hit the ground. It condensed, forming a slightly-humanoid shape. The light died, and in its place was a little creature.

Ed blinked once at it, surprised. It was one of the weirdest animals, if you could even call it that, he had ever seen. It stood on two stumpy white legs with a stream behind it, looking almost like the train of a long dress. Two weak-looking arms protruded from its small white torso. What seemed to be the part that drew the eye most, however, was the head. It had no visible eyes because what looked like green hair was draped around its head on all sides. Jutting from its scalp were two broad, flat red spines with curved tips, one in front and one in back. Mera recognized it very quickly; it could only be a ralts.

Regardless of how it looked, or the fact that it had just come from a ball that was three times smaller than it, it didn't look like it was going to stand a chance at facing up to the zangoose. It cried out in shock and what might have been horror at the sight of her. The larger creature didn't even slow down. At least, not until Daryn shouted.

"Rin! Confusion, now!" Ed only watched in a confusion of his own as the small pokémon steeled itself. It clenched tiny fists, and then a rapid wave of purple energy emanated from the front horn on its head. They moved forward, staying well away from Ed and Daryn, but stopping the zangoose in her tracks. She skidded to a halt, her front paws going to each ear as she cringed in pain.

Mera, by contrast, was inspired. Now was the perfect time for her to prove her worth to Ed, to show that she was strong, too. Stronger than that zangoose, and definitely stronger than the ralts!

She ducked out from under Ed's coat, leaving it where he had dropped it. She ran on all fours, as fast as her little paws could take her, steadily growing brighter with electricity pulsing on her back and tail. The zangoose shook off the attack finally, a growl beginning deep in her throat. She was weak now, from the fights. She wanted to fight and beat these humans, Mera could see, but there were too many. The pichu watched as she hesitated, wondering whether to flee or not, and she struck. She leaped forward, and the zangoose barely had time to look at her before she curled into a ball and struck her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her. Seconds later, her charged electricity shot through her, shooting through her entire body. The Volt Tackle was as effective as she could have hoped. The zangoose dropped to the ground, exhausted to the point of fainting.

Mera, still curled up into a ball, rolled gently off the zangoose before she popped open, dizzy and aching. She shook her head and turned her gaze up to her trainer. He simply looked down at her in astonishment.

"Is that _your_ pichu?" Daryn asked, surprised. "And it knows Volt Tackle? Those are rare!"

"…I must just be lucky," Ed replied after a moment, his voice sounding almost flat. Mera beamed, feeling very important and glad to be complimented. Daryn, meanwhile, picked another pokeball off his belt. Ed watched as he threw this one like he had the other. This time, it bounced off the zangoose and, after it split, spilled forth red light instead of white. The crimson light engulfed the zangoose, drawing her back into the sphere. When all the light was back inside, it closed once more, and dropped to the ground. It tipped to one side once, and Ed shook his head.

"When this is all over," He said tiredly as the ball shook once more, "you need to explain a few things."

But no one, not even Mera, noticed that, during the fight, Isorfold had escaped.

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He was outside, making his way away from his former hideout, cursing under his breath. He really had been expecting Fullmetal to come barging in, as he had that first night, but he had left too much to chance. Then, when he saw that the transmutation had yielded two things instead of one, and the first had attacked Fullmetal, he had been hoping to steal away the second. Luck was against him yet again, for it was a human, a boy that was of no use to him.

Things were looking very grim indeed. The single creature that was still under his command was injured, leaving him with no protection. He needed to make another facility soon, and begin looking for new subjects sooner. He blew out a long sigh as he walked slowly due to Fullmetal's punch. He certainly looked frazzled, with his dark hair, peppered with gray, standing askew and his gray eyes with bags under them.

"Hello there, Evan." He stopped mid-step, his heart leaping into his throat. It was not Fullmetal, for the voice was undeniably feminine, not to mention a hint seductive. He could only think that Fullmetal had had back up, another State Alchemist waiting in case things went south…

And then he turned to see a black-haired woman. She was not just a woman, she was the most beautiful woman Isorfold had ever seen. A tight black dress hugged her ample curves, the neck cut low to reveal her bosom and the black tattoo that was there, a snake (or perhaps a serpentine dragon) eating its tail. The dress extended into long gloves that covered not only her arms but her hands as well, though they were crossed in front of her as she leaned gracefully against a building wall. Her slight smile seemed dangerous.

"Wh-who are you?" He managed to stutter out, flabbergasted by her sudden appearance. "What do you want with me?"

"I've heard of your work," She said in reply, the smile never changing on her full lips. "What you're doing. And I simply have a gift." She loosened her arms from around her stomach, moving them until her right hand was held out, though not enough that it seemed threatening. She opened her hand and revealed the gem that was there, red as blood.

For a moment, Isorfold was confused. He thought it was a ruby, but the color and texture did not seem quite right. Then his eyes went wide, realization dawning on him.

"What are you doing with a Philosopher's Stone?" He managed to gasp.

"That's not what is important," She replied. "What is important is that I'm giving it to _you_." She held it out further. A terrible greed immediately clouded Isorfold's thoughts. The ideas of what he could do with something of _that_ kind of power… Maximum output at the minimum price… His dream of an army of monsters unlike anything his world had ever seen was only a few feet away. He raced forward, almost stumbling in his haste, and snatched it from her hand. As soon as he felt it, truly real in his hands, the need to use it was almost overwhelming. He did not see the woman's grin grow wider, almost impossibly so, at how easily he had taken the bait. When he looked back up, that extra bit of smile was gone. He was suspicious now, nonetheless.

"Why give this to me?" He questioned. "What is your purpose in handing it over?"

"An alliance," She said quietly. "You have great and powerful ideas, Evan Isorfold, and I wish only to buy an alliance and your protection. I do not want to fall with the military when you take power." He smiled at that. Here was someone who believed in him, believed that he could do it, and was helping him rather than thwarting him. How she had found out did not matter. She had given him the stone of legend, the Crimson Elixir, the Philosopher's Stone.

"Of course, miss…?"

"Lust," She supplied.

"Miss Lust," He finished, not turning a hair over her strange name. Even if it was a false name, it fit, and, more interestingly, was one of the seven deadly sins. "I greatly appreciate your gift and good tidings. I will put it to good use. And your safety is assured. Perhaps, even, when I take my place as king of this land, you could be my… queen."

"Perhaps," She replied mysteriously, hinting at nothing.

"But I must be on my way." He bowed slightly in his thanks, and then turned was off, disappearing into the darkness.

"Well, that was gross." The black cat that had settled next to Lust as Isorfold left shivered, its fur peeling away with the aid of red lightning to reveal pale flesh. In less than a second it doubled, tripled, quadrupled in size, until there was a person there instead, clad in a short skirt and tube top that revealed much of his abdomen. His long, dark green locks of hair seemed to shadow his face. "Nasty old man."

"But he took it." She shrugged. "I'll never have to take him up on that offer."

"Speaking of which," Envy said, "is he really worth a stone?"

"Perhaps not," She replied, "but who knows. Maybe he'll pull through for us."

"And if he does, we'll have all kinds of monsters at our disposal," Envy added gleefully. "Oh, what we could do with them all…" Lust simply stared off into the night, ignoring her sibling's dreams of destruction.

"That's not our decision," She simply stated, then turned away. "We shouldn't dawdle. Father wanted to see us." By the time she looked back again, Envy was gone. A black cat trotted past her instead.

Neither saw the amber eyes of the large feline that watched them from the rooftops above.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N (Phantom SunsSong)**: What's this? A new chapter? I know. Shocking. Anyway, I've had this chapter written for some time, but I just finally got around to going through and editing it (like that place where it said 'insert Floatzel description here'). The good news? I'm putting up another chapter just for you guys here in a bit. ;D

And while I'm at it, I'd like to give everyone who commented, favored, alerted, or even just read this during my hiatus my undying gratitude. I really write this for you guys as much as I write it for myself, and I'm really happy to see that people really like my work. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I hope you guys enjoy these new chapters, because I'm going to be trying to pour them out while I can before school starts. I'm going into my senior year in high school, and I have a feeling I won't have much time for writing, because I'm sure not taking the blow-off classes this year. x.x In fact, the only 'easy' classes I'm going to have are Band and Short Stories/Mythology (semester of each). The rest is stuff like Physics, Calculus, and Genetics. Fun.

_Chapter Thirteen_

She hadn't wanted to care for the egg.

Even as Ari wrapped her long tail more tightly around the delicate sphere, holding it closer to her body to keep it warm, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She should have tried to let it die, leave it to the cold. She wasn't sure if she could live with herself, knowing she had helped bring an innocent baby into the life she was cursed to lead.

Not that it would have made a difference. If she gave it up, she would simply have been thrown back into her old cage, and the humans would have chosen another Pokémon to take her place. It was going to hatch, with or without her help.

She didn't know why they were making such a fuss over it. She had been moved to a clear enclosure in a bright room, full of humans, always watching her. That was the worst of it-there were so many of them, always hanging around. She was fed better than before, and she was warmer, and with more light, but it seemed to be hardly a compensation. No, she was there for the egg.

Her deep purple eyes lingered over it, marveling at the beautiful swirls of bright cerulean and luscious orange. It was truly a delight to look at. She felt a pang in her heart for the poor mother that had lost it.

Even now, under better care, she knew that she was no pretty sight. She was an espeon, and she was supposed to be graceful, elegant, but she was neither. Oh, once she had been, long ago when she'd had a true trainer, before these other humans had killed the girl she loved so much and taken Ari with them. Now, her lavender fur was ragged, her red gem dulled by the black metal collar kept tightly around her neck to subdue her psychic abilities. She had gained a little weight, but she knew she still looked more skeletal than sleek. She was a ghost of her former self, of her former vitality. So often any more, she was just so tired of living...

Her front claws slid out, gripping at the soft cloth bedding she had here with the egg. Her mind had been wandering again. It did that sometimes, always leading to the question of her existence alone in this lair of humans. She couldn't give up hope that she could find freedom; that she could escape. It was all she had anymore. That, and now her egg.

And then, to her surprise, it jerked. It had been doing that more and more often lately, and every time it shocked her. She kept from jumping this time, at least. She looked up and out through her glass cage.

Humans were there, but only two, less than usual. Neither seemed very interested in her or the egg at the moment, seeing as they were talking, each with a mug of the brown liquid they seemed to drink all the time. As she looked, though, the egg shook again. Then, she heard a faint crack.  
>She jolted, and her attention was immediately on the egg. A tiny crack had formed, just on the top, though as the egg wriggled, it grew larger and larger. She climbed to her feet, moving away to watch it expectantly. She couldn't help it, that much she knew. She had to let it hatch on its own-<p>

She yelped as the door to her cage opened. She squeezed into the back corner, hissing as the fur rose on her back. Large hands and arms reached in, and for a terrifying moment, she thought they were grabbing for her. When they grasped the egg, however, her terror turned to fury. Like purple lightning, she attacked the hand, hissing and yowling as best she could as she ferociously clawed and bit the human trying to take the egg. With satisfaction, she tasted blood in her mouth, and the hand was pulled out as fast as possible.

"Damn thing, it won't give up the egg!" The human that had foolishly reached into her cage exclaimed, cradling a scratched and bitten arm.

"We weren't expecting it to struggle," the other, a more feminine voice, replied. Ari watched her take something off her belt, a baton she knew all too well. It delivered an electric shock to Pokémon that fought back, but she didn't care. They weren't going to get her egg!

The second moved to strike her, but she was faster. Even in the small confines of the cage, she slipped around the baton and lashed out at the arm holding it. The woman yelled and batted at her, this time connecting. She felt electricity course through her, a burning, wriggling feeling from her nose to the tip of her tail. She collapsed, paralyzed, as the human took her precious egg.

"We need to get it out," the human said, carrying the egg to her partner. "Hurry, get the tools." The other, with one arm unmoving at his side, left her sight, only to come back with a large metal contraption. Her mind just barely grasping what they were doing, she watched them pry the egg open to reveal an orange weasel creature, a buizel, before the blackness swallowed her vision and pulled her into unconsciousness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elina was relatively sure she was probably going into shock. She was sitting on the ground (and in all truthfulness, she couldn't really remember how she had gotten there), in among the leaves and dirt, ignoring the cold that came with the damp ground, thanks to the rain the night before. She had her back against a tree trunk, and her legs were folded up in front of her, her arms wrapped around them almost protectively. Her breathing was getting more even now, though her cerulean eyes were still red from all the crying she had been doing less than five minutes before.

Daryn was gone. And without him, she felt like a part of her was missing. She supposed it might be a twin thing. She'd heard and read about similar occurrences, especially when the two siblings in question were close. As she thought about it, she realized that they had never been more than twenty miles apart before, and there was no telling what had happened to him in that lightning, or even if he was still alive.

No. She stopped that train of thought immediately by turning her attention to a strand of grass next to her right shoe. She couldn't even consider the possibility that he might be dead. She'd just start crying again. But what was she going to do? Could she go home and tell her parents what had happened? That they'd been attacked by a freaking zangoose that wasn't even supposed to be here, and that it and Daryn had been spirited away by some weird blue lightning? And that she had just watched as it looked like he was broken apart, piece by piece, and simply disappeared?

_"It simply disappeared..."_

"Dammit," she croaked to herself, feeling the hot tears threatening again. She laid her left cheek on her knees. "It's the damn egg all over again..." As if losing her egg, the Pokémon she was supposed to train and take care of as her own, wasn't enough, she had to lose her brother, too.

She didn't really notice the strange sound of metal on metal at first, and when she did, she thought it was simply in her imagination. When she finally realized it wasn't, that the sound was something moving in front of her, her head shot up immediately. What caught her gaze was as unbelievable as a zangoose in a forest in Sinnoh, if not more so.

It was a suit of armor. And it was staring at her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke slowly, almost carefully, to the slow movements of Al walking. I didn't remember going to sleep, to be truthful. It was strange. That wasn't the only strange thing, either. I was still in Al's armor, too, and the air smelled so vaguely familiar. I blinked my amber eyes sleepily, trying to grasp at what I could remember.

We were going to confront Isorfold, with Al going first, and then, Al yelled at Ed to stay back...

My breath caught in my throat. Everything, me still in Al's armor, the events leading up to that moment, and most importantly, the smell, fell into place, like a puzzle coming together. It was an impossible thought, but I knew it was true nonetheless.

We were in my world.

The smell was fresh, clean, forest air, mixed with the scent of trees and plants and life. I could hardly believe how much I had missed that, in the three days I had been away.

Al yelled that warning to Ed because he knew what was happening, that he was being carried away by Isorfold in exchange for more hapless Pokémon.

And I didn't remember going to sleep because I had somehow been knocked out during the transfer. That didn't make a whole lot of sense, considering I had been awake the first time I had crossed over, but it wasn't something I really felt like dwelling on. There was really no way of telling.

"Al," I hissed quietly, but the noise was drowned out by a strangled cry from outside of the armor. It was human, and female, from the sound. Young, too, possibly even younger than Al or Ed either one.

"Please, I'm not going to hurt you, Miss," Al said in his quietest, least-threatening voice.

"Wh-who are you?" The human girl stuttered.

"My name is Alphonse," Al replied.

"Why are you wearing armor?" She asked, rather than giving her own name. She sounded somewhat calmer, at least, but still scared. "You looked like you're ready to face a charizard!" She laughed nervously.

"Er, something like that," Al replied hesitantly. Poor Al, I knew he had no idea what a charizard was. "But, uh, Miss, why have you been crying?" There was a long pause, only to be broken by the sound of sobs.

"I-I'm sorry-!" Al started, obviously upset that he'd caused her to start crying again.

"I-it's n-not your f-fault," she hiccupped through her crying. "I-I just-t..." Then she started up again.

"Al," I whispered as loudly as I dared. "Al, let me out!" I heard the gentle clank as he started a bit from the noise. He turned away from the girl as she cried and then, carefully and quietly, opened up the front of his armor. He pulled me out of his foot and set me on the ground while he quickly closed his chest. I, meanwhile, peeked around him at the girl.

She was sitting on the ground, her back up against a tree, with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were crossed on top of them, and her face was hidden in her arms, though I could still see her jet black hair, falling around her heaving form. She was slight, for a human, and small. She was certainly younger than Ed, even if she was just a bit smaller. Al I couldn't be sure about, with his body being metal as it was.

"shinx," Al said quietly, once he had his chest closed again. "shinx, how can you talk now?" I started at that. What did he mean, how could I talk now?

"What-" I began, but then cut myself off, shaking my head. He couldn't understand me anyway, so what did it matter?

"You just said 'what'," he replied. A strange shiver of what might have been a mixture of fear and excitement crept down my spine. Could he...?

"You understand," I whispered carefully, "everything I am saying?" He nodded. "Can you repeat it?" He nodded again.

"You understand everything I am saying," he said.

"Holy Arceus," I managed to gasp. This was insane. It went against everything I'd ever known. Regardless of the fact it was Al I was talking about that could speak to me, could understand everything I said, regardless of how much it might help us in the long run, it was impossible. I had never heard of a human who could understand pokémon speech word for word. Sure, some could instinctually get the gist of what we were saying, but that could usually only be gained when a trainer spent years with pokémon. This, though, was just phenomenal.

It had to have something to do with us coming here. Perhaps it had something to do with the transmutation circle Isorfold had used. If its original purpose had been to send only one thing through the Gate, by sending two, we could have merged somehow, temporarily, during the transport, and split back apart when we were set back in my old world, but not completely. We could have somehow shared memories, or knowledge, giving Al the ability to understand Pokémon speech-

I stopped thinking, realizing exactly _what_ I had been thinking. Where did all that come from? I could understand it, but I wouldn't have been able to before coming back to my world. Whatever the cause for it all, I was getting really confused.

"A shinx!" I started at the surprised human voice, and turned back to the girl that had been sobbing moments before. Her bright blue eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks still wet, but she looked happy to see me, or, about as happy as a distraught young human could look. Taking pity on her, and deciding I needed a distraction from our new mystery, I padded over to her with purpose. She seemed surprised by my approach, and as I got closer, she reached out a hand. I stood still, and gently, she patted the soft fur on my head. I stiffened a little, but gradually relaxed, and it seemed to help her, too. That was what mattered. Al didn't seem to exactly be good at comforting people in hysterics.

"Does she have a name?" The girl asked after a few moments.

"Tasha," I said quickly before he could reply. He was quiet for a moment, before he said, "Tasha," sounding almost obedient.

"That's an interesting name," the girl replied, though her expression didn't change from her look of brief happiness. "I'm Elina," she said, after several moments. She withdrew her hand and looked up at Al.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm just...confused."

"Me too." I could hear the wry smile in Al's voice. "I'm honestly lost. Do you know where we are?" Elina looked slightly puzzled.

"Uh, we're in Sinnoh," she told him. "Near Sandgem."

"Is Sinnoh a country?" He asked. She just started looking more confused.

"A country? What's that? Sinnoh is a region, y'know, like Kanto? Hoenn?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't-" He started to say, and then stopped. "Oh, r-right," he said instead. "Hoenn. Kanto. I just got confused for a moment." He laughed hesitantly. If Elina thought his behavior was strange, she didn't say anything.

"Where are you from?" She asked instead. Her attention had turned back to me, and I allowed her to gently rub behind my ears. "And Tasha is yours, I suppose?"

"Mine?" He asked back, and I noticed that he had sidestepped the first question. Elina looked up with another curious expression.

"Uh, yeah, yours. Y'know, like, you're a trainer? She's you're Pokémon?" She smiled. "She's really cute. If I had a shinx, I'd want one like her."

"Just say yes," I said to Al. "It'll be the safest way for us to go. Wild Pokémon never follow humans around."

"Yes," Al complied. "She's, she's my only one."

"So you're a beginner too!" Elina sounded excited at that. "I was going to... Going to get..." She suddenly faltered, and her face darkened. "But... But my brother..." It seemed as if those tears were threatening again, and her hand dropped to her side. Hoping to get a positive reaction, I nudged it with my nose, to no avail.

"What happened?" Al asked, sounding consoling and maybe even a bit fearful of her answer.

"He... You won't believe me." She shook her head, wiping away yet more moisture from her eyes. "I don't believe me. It's impossible."

"What's impossible?" Al pressed, bending down to her level. Elina held for just a moment longer before the dam, already leaking, totally gave way.

"He d-disappeared," she sobbed, not even bothering to hide her face this time as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "A flash of b-blue lightning and he was gone, vanishing before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything..." I cast a glance at Al and saw that he understood. The boy, Elina's brother, had been taken as a trade for us.

"A-and now," the girl started up again. "I don't-I don't even know if he's still alive!"

"I'm sure he's still alive, Elina!" Al said quickly. "He's fine. It'll all be oka-"

"How can you say that?!" She all but shrieked. "How can you know anything? Why am I even telling you this-you're just some random person that passed by!" Al was obviously going to answer, though he never did. He was cut off by another shout from someone else entirely.

"Floatzel, Water Gun!" A torrent of water, seemingly coming from nowhere, pelted the suit of armor from behind. Elina gasped, but didn't have time to move as the force of the attack sent Al barreling into her. I, though, got past with nothing more than a little water on my fur. I darted around them and got my first look at our attackers.

It was a human trainer. That much was obvious, considering the fact that at his side was a Pokémon. It had a long orange snout and a lithe body, with a crest of fur on the back of its head. Around its shoulders was what appeared to be some kind of yellow flotation device, and on its forelegs, for it stood on its hind two, were identical blue fins. It certainly was a floatzel, looking very smug about its direct hit. The human was a male, an older one, certainly older than Ed or Al, though not ancient. He had an air of utter confidence about him, one that didn't seem entirely warranted in my eyes. His bronzy brown hair was cut much shorter than Ed's, though it lengthened around his forehead and a little ponytail at the back of his neck. He wore strange clothing, mostly black and bearing a large red letter R. His eyes were a glittering blue, though there was a predatory glint there that I didn't like. He didn't pay any attention to me, but he was looking directly at Al.

The floatzel gave me a look of contempt, and I hissed in response. I could already feel the electricity building in my limbs, in my fur. I wanted to zap that smirk right off the Pokémon's face. Behind me, I heard Al climbing to his feet, apologizing the whole way, and as he spoke, the human's expression turned to one of disbelief and then swiftly to slight irritation.

"And here I thought I might bag an Aggron," he said nonchalantly, and I realized what he must have mistaken Al for. "Fine. I suppose I'll have to make do with whatever you have on you."

"Who are you?" Al asked, though from the rebellious tone in his voice, I knew he realized the gravity of the situation. "What do you want?" He asked again. The man laughed, though it wasn't pleasant. His voice had been fairly high for a human male to begin with, but his laugh was like an ululating screech. I gritted my teeth.

"You're just a boy, aren't you? In that ferocious-looking armor, I thought for sure you'd be a man. And you don't even know what I am. How quaint." Al took a clinking step forward, and I chanced a glance back. Elina, staying well behind Al, had gone very pale. Her hands were trembling.

"Please, Alphonse, we need to run-!"

"Oh, I'm afraid there won't be any running," the man cut her off suavely. And as if it was a signal, more humans and Pokémon stepped into the clearing. We were closed in. Al glanced around them, but I knew the human was right. We weren't escaping, not three, if you could even count Elina, against eight.

"Your pokémon, and you, are now property of Team Rocket," the man said, a wicked smile splitting his face. "You can resist if you want. Makes no difference to us." And with that, the fighting started.

The floatzel lunged for me, eyes gleaming in anticipation of a fight. I snarled back, but it lost me precious time. I tried to move out of the way of the Quick Attack, but not quickly enough. Its claws raked my side. I bit back the cry of pain, then latched onto its tail in a vicious Bite attack instead, clamping down hard. The extra weight brought the floatzel to a quick stop, and it howled. It swatted at me, but I kept just out of reach, all the while charging electricity. At the last second, I let go, leaped backwards, and, while I was in the air, released a powerful Discharge. The brilliant bolts of electricity didn't miss.

The floatzel twitched and convulsed as lightning coursed through its body in a flash of light. A low moan emanated from its mouth, but eventually the attack ceased. I fell to the ground, suddenly winded. I hadn't realized how tired I was. I forgot that it hadn't been long since the battle with Boro, and then the run to Isorfold's hideout. I wasn't in the shape to fight an evolved pokémon. And the floatzel, now through my attack, knew that. It smirked this time, in a way that reminded me far too much of its trainer, and took a deep breath.

Rather than a regular Water Gun, where it kept its distance, the floatzel lunged forward. I didn't have time to move before it launched a blast of water, an Aqua Jet. I cried out in pain on impact, but it wasn't over yet. Through the water, claws and paws struck me, and the breath was knocked out of me. Suddenly, I was airborne, and I thought I heard Al shout, but I couldn't be sure. Blackness swallowed my vision before I even hit the ground, and I knew no more.


End file.
